Dream Weaver
by deathsweetqueen
Summary: 9/Time Lady!OC. The Doctor's Dream Child is alive. Trapped beneath the Salt Plains of Utah and at billionaire collector Henry Van Statten's mercy and doomed to be tortured until she is saved. The Doctor, searching a signal, finds a familiar face in Van Statten's Cage. Who is she to the Doctor and how will Rose deal with a Time Lady in the TARDIS? First in the Lady Oracle Apocrypha.
1. Dalek: Someone, Somewhere

Dream Weaver – Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, the Doctor would have a happy ending.

A/N: And here we are, finally. The first story in my new Time Lady OC series. This will end up Doctor/OC, in fact, it kind of starts out Doctor/OC. Please don't read this or any other stories in this series if you expect the Doctor to end up with Rose or River.

Warnings: None for this chapter.

* * *

Dalek: Someone, Somewhere

She didn't know where she was. All she knew was a dark room and endless restraints that left her claustrophobic and breathless. Long strips of tan leather that bound her to the gurney she was lying on. She was naked. Thankfully, leather straps covered most of her upper chest and waist down to the middle of her thighs, protecting her modesty. But none of the tests they did on her were anything of a sexual nature. They were all quite clinical. Poking and prodding and slicing into her to see how she ticked. It was what humans considered vivisection at its best.

She grit her teeth against the screams that rose in her throat from the pain. She didn't dare show them an ounce of weakness, letting them win by causing her to break. She kept herself silent, trying to draw her mind back into her memories, happy ones, with the ones she loved more than anything else in the universe, where she was safe from their onslaught. They thought she was deaf or maybe mute, but she heard every single word they were saying, making sure to remember. It might save her or at least allow her to escape.

"Binary vascular system. How can this be possible? She has two hearts." She heard a man call out in excited glee.

She resisted the urge to grimace and cursed him, silently, in the billions of languages she knew. All she needed to do was to get out of these restraints and she'd show them what a woman with two hearts was capable of.

"Keep her in the vault next to the Metaltron." She heard a voice order. She paled and thrashed in her restraints, unmindful of the bruises along her arms and legs and the raw incision that stretched across her belly. _The Dalek, oh, Other, the Dalek!_ When the pain from the cut on her stomach became too much for her to ignore, she reluctantly stopped struggling, and sank down, wearily.

She had to get out of there. Soon. No one was coming to save her. There was no one left to save her. If she was going to escape, she had to do it herself.

* * *

The TARDIS materialised and the Doctor and Rose stepped out.

"So, what is it? What's wrong?" Rose asked, confused. He wouldn't answer her when she had first asked why he was suddenly changing their course.

"Don't know," The Doctor said, rubbing the back of his neck in irritation. Something was wrong. Very wrong here. And he wanted, no, needed to find out what it was. "Some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course..."

The Doctor and Rose looked around where they had landed. They seemed to be in a room with many glass cases, containing all sorts of alien matter.

"Where are we?" Rose asked.

"Earth, Utah, North America. About half a mile underground."

"And…" Rose paused. "When are we?"

"2012." The Doctor answered.

"God, that's so close, so I should be... 26."

The Doctor flicked a switch and lights flooded the room.

"Blimey! It's a great big museum!" Rose exclaimed in awe.

"An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby." The Doctor muttered. "They must've spent a fortune on this. Chunks of meteorite, moon dust... that's the milometer from the Roswell Spaceship." The Doctor commented as he passed by each of the exhibits. They noticed a Slitheen's arm in one of the cases.

"That's a bit of Slitheen! That's a Slitheen's arm, it's been stuffed."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, noticing another case. "Ah! Look at you!" The head of a Cyberman stared back at him, its eyes devoid of anything. The Doctor stared through the glass at it. Rose stood behind him.

"What is it?"

"An old friend of mine... well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old." The Doctor chuckled.

"Is that where the signal's coming from?" Rose asked.

"Nah," The Doctor shook his head. "It's stone dead. The signal's alive. Something's reaching out." He stared intently through the glass. "Calling for help." His eyes closed as something foreign, yet familiar, thrummed inside of him. He reached out for nothing in particular and then resisted a wince when a familiar emptiness enveloped him.

He placed the tip of his finger gently on the glass. Immediately, an alarm started blaring and they were promptly surrounded by soldiers all pointing their guns at them.

"If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A." Rose muttered.

The Doctor flashed the soldiers a nonchalant grin.

* * *

The first slice of the day made her chew into the leather strapped across her mouth. It was definitely not the most painful experience she had ever had, but it wasn't as if someone were rubbing a feather across the naked skin of her belly either. Her eyes clenched shut from the pain, a few tears squeezing out despite her attempt to control her emotions.

"They found people in the vault. They just appeared out of nowhere. The boss is going to see them now." She heard one of the men mutter.

Her head lolled around, only half-listening to what they were saying. She didn't know why the 'boss' finding some intruders applied to her. She whimpered when the knife slicked into recently healed skin. They found her ability to heal quickly extraordinary and did their best to replicate the event. She felt as if she were at the end of her tether at this point. Escaping a war on the Time War's scale and trapped in restraints, sentenced to vivisection for the rest of the boss' life. It was certainly not a life she had imagined for herself. In fact, she knew of one person in particular, whose blood would have seethed had he seen her in this position.

* * *

A short, balding man in a suit was sitting at a table, while a young, dark-haired man showed him strange objects.

"And this is the last... paid $800,000 for it."

A blonde woman, wearing a business suit, entered, escorting the Doctor and Rose.

"What does it do?" The balding man asked, taking the object from the young man.

"Well you see, the tubes on the side must be to channel something, I think maybe fuel..."

The Doctor winced. "I really wouldn't hold it like that."

"Shut it." The woman hissed at them.

"Really, though, that's wrong." The Doctor insisted.

"Is it dangerous?" The young man asked, frowning.

"No." The Doctor snorted. "Just looks silly." He held his hand out to take the artefact. The security bristled, raising their guns. The balding man held up a hand to stop them and handed the object, which looked sort of like a harmonica, to the Doctor. "You just need to be…" The Doctor ran his fingers, gently, over the artefact and it played a high-pitched note, sounding more and more like a harmonica. "… delicate." He finished with a smile.

Everyone looked suitably impressed. The Doctor beamed at everyone while he played the alien instrument.

"It's a musical instrument." The balding man, with dawning realisation.

The Doctor nodded. "And it's a long way from home." He mused with a smile.

The balding man stood. "Here, let me." He snatched it off the Doctor, who raised his eyebrows.

"I did say 'delicate'. Reacts to the smallest fingerprint." The Doctor warned.

However, the balding man couldn't play the instrument at first and it started to make a series of bleeping noises.

"It needs precision." The Doctor cautioned, wincing at the high-pitched notes.

The man touched it more gently and it plays a few notes. The Doctor smiled.

"Very good. Quite the expert." The Doctor remarked.

"As are you." The man said, looking up at the Doctor with a strange glint in his eyes. He tossed the instrument aside, where it landed on the floor somewhere. The Doctor's and the young man's eyes followed it, slightly alarmed by the abruptness of the action. "Who exactly are you?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at the man, a slightly disdainful look in his eye. "I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"

The man snorted. "Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artefacts in the world and you just stumbled in by mistake." He said, coldly.

The Doctor shrugged, nonchalantly. "Pretty much sums me up, yeah."

"The question is, how did you get in? 53 floors down. With your little cat burglar accomplice." He eyed Rose. "Quite a collector yourself, she's rather pretty."

Rose narrowed her eyes at the leering man. "She's gonna smack you if you keep calling her 'she'." She said, icily.

The man smirked and turned his eyes back to the Doctor. "She's English too!" He turned to the young man. "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy, got you a girlfriend." He joked.

"This is Mr Henry Van Statten." The young man introduced the balding man.

Rose quirked her lips. "And who's he when he's at home?"

"Mr Van Statten owns the Internet."

Rose frowned. "Don't be stupid, no one owns the Internet."

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right kids?" Van Statten said, with an eerie smile.

"So you're an expert on just about everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up." The Doctor surmised, crossing his arms over his chest.

Van Statten raised his eyebrow. "And you claim greater knowledge?"

The Doctor had a nonplussed look on his face. "I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am." He said, arrogantly.

"And yet, I captured you. Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?" Van Statten asked.

"You tell me."

"The cage contains my two living specimens." Van Statten bragged.

The Doctor frowned. "And what're those?" With any luck, one of those two living specimens would have been the one to send out the signal he had caught.

Van Statten smirked. "Like you don't know."

"Show me."

"You wanna see it?"

Rose sighed. "Blimey, you can smell the testosterone." She said, sarcastically.

"Goddard," Van Statten turned to the blond-haired woman in a business suit. "Inform the cage." He ordered. "We're heading down."

Goddard nodded.

Van Statten turned to the young, dark-haired man. "You, English. Look after the girl. Canoodle or spoon, or whatever it is you British do. And you," He turned to the Doctor. "Doctor with no name..." He walked over to the lift. "Come and see my pets."

* * *

"The boss is bringing one of the intruders down here." She heard one of the humans tell the man who was currently analysing the blood sample he had wrenched from her.

Her torturer sighed. "What is this, a sideshow?" He laughed.

Her hands tightened around the strip of leathers covering her wrist, as she wondered why the portly man who had imprisoned her would bring visitors down to see her.

"Let's see if we can make you talk now." Her torturer approached her, a sick smile on his face, as he raised a blunt knife.

She whimpered against leather strap stretched across her mouth, her teeth digging into it and tears leaking from her ears, dripping down her temples and falling onto the gurney she was lying on. The knife cut through a healing scar already on her stomach and the metallic smell of blood filled the air as she could feel the warm rivulets sliding down her stomach.

Suddenly, she could hear the high-pitched screams of the Dalek next door and her eyes closed, whether out of pity or vengeful happiness, she wasn't sure. Did the Dalek deserved to be tortured like this? Especially when the man who ordered the torture didn't know why the Dalek should be tortured. She didn't know how to reconcile her hatred for the Dalek with her pity and sorrow that the creature was being tortured with no way of defending itself.

They were both alone in this world.

* * *

Van Statten led the Doctor to one of the vaults.

"We've tried everything. The creatures have... shielded themselves but there's definite signs of life inside this one." Van Statten explained, as he entered a code for the vault door to open. The door opened behind him.

"Inside?" The Doctor frowned. "Inside what?"

A man in protective gear strode up to Van Statten. "Welcome back, sir. I've had to take the power down, the Metaltron is resting." He told Van Statten.

_Resting? How magnanimous of them._ The Doctor resisted the urge to snort. He couldn't imagine what they had done to it for it to need some 'rest'.

"And the other one?"

The man shook his head. "She only screams, sir. No words. I've analysed her blood, though. The blood work is quite extraordinary. You should come and see."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "She?" Anger rose in him at the thought of them experimenting on some poor defenceless creature, let alone a woman. He thought of a certain woman who had been in his life that would have responded quite vocally to the idea of someone being tortured for the sake of biology. He turned to Van Statten. "Metaltron?" He clarified, finding some dark amusement in the nickname Van Statten had given to the creature, despite the situation the creature found itself in.

"Thought of it myself." Van Statten said, proudly, as if expecting praise for coming up with the name. "Good, isn't it? Although I'd much to prefer to find out its real name." He told the Doctor, slyly.

The man turned to the Doctor. "Here, you'd better put these on." He handed him a pair of gloves. "The last guy that touched it... burst into flames." He said, conspiratorially.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, wondering how stupid they thought he was. "I won't touch it then."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a smile creep onto the blonde woman's, Goddard's, face.

"Go ahead, Doctor. Impress me." Van Statten spoke as if such a feat was impossible.

Goddard looked at the Doctor, who with a calm and neutral expression on his face, stepped into the Cage. Van Statten stepped away from the door.

"Don't open that door until we get a result. I won't show him the other one unless we get a result." Van Statten muttered to Goddard, who nodded. The two bent down in front of the monitor showing the surveillance footage from the Cage in order to get a better view. It was pitch dark inside as they watched the Doctor enter.

* * *

She was allowed a brief respite, while her torturer went to see how the intruder handled the Dalek next door. She found that actually quite amusing, how she was given time to "rest", as if she were doing some manual labour, instead of being cut and sliced into.

She wondered what made the intruder so important that the 'boss' would allow them to take a look at the Dalek. She wondered if he would bring the intruder to come and visit her. What would the intruder think when he saw her strapped to the gurney with blood pooled around her body? Would he side with Van Statten or would he help free her?

The metal band around her neck dug into her skin, uncomfortably, as she moved. They had place two identical metal bands, one around her forehead and the other around her neck. The first one had been to block the brain waves she had exuded without restraint when they had captured her. Whether to make sure she couldn't call for help or because they didn't know what her mind was capable of, she wasn't sure. The second was either out of some sick fetish Van Statten had to see his captive truly degraded by wearing a collar or maybe they thought she was a witch and the band would block access to her magic. She found the latter quite laughable, but they tightened the bands every so often, adding to the circle of pain they put her through on a daily basis.

She exhaled, a part of her revelling in the lack of torture, but the rest of her screaming, silently, wanting _him_ to be alive, to come and save her, like he had always promised. But _he_ was dead. They were all dead. Why did she survive?

* * *

The door shut behind the Doctor and he rolled his eyes. He looked at some of the instruments the man outside had been using to torture the alien. He sparingly wondered if these same instruments were being used on the other alien Van Statten had in his prison. Despite the darkness, the Doctor could see a blue light that gave away the alien's location in the vault room.

"Look, I'm sorry about this." The Doctor sighed, wondering what the best plan would be to free the alien. "Mr Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him. I've come to help. I'm the Doctor."

"Doc-tor." A familiar mechanical voice drawled out the harsh syllables of the title someone had suggested to him so long ago.

The Doctor paled and his entire form stilled in absolute shock. He shook his head, more out of a wish not to believe rather than actual disbelief. "Impossible." He breathed, torn between taking a step forward to make sure or to run from the room while he still could.

"_The_ Doctor?"

The Doctor watched, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. The lights flared in the room, illumination a single Dalek trapped in chains.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Dalek shouted.

The Doctor took a step forward and rushed to the door, banging on it with his fists, rattling it with the force used. "Let me out!" He shouted.

"Exterminate!"

* * *

She paled when she heard the Dalek scream out the race's trademark catchphrase. She couldn't hear what the intruder had said to make the Dalek react in such a way, their voice was too low in comparison to the hysterical cry of the Dalek. But, whoever the intruder was, they had obviously managed to incite a response in the previously silent creature that Van Statten and any of his subordinates had tried to so hard to provoke. Who could they be, to cause such a reaction to a Dalek? They had to be a great threat to a race who was determined to destroy any other life in the universe that wasn't a Dalek. She only knew of one being that was capable of being that great threat. But he was dead. And she should have died along with him and everyone else she and they had loved.

* * *

"Sir, it's going to kill him!" Goddard shouted at Van Statten when he prevented her from opening the door.

"It's talking!" Van Statten growled, pulling her away and back towards the monitor.

* * *

"You are an enemy of the Daleks! You must be destroyed!" The Dalek's gun waved around, helplessly, as if it couldn't pinpoint the Doctor's location in the room.

The Doctor paused, noticing the lack of fire and the Dalek's inability to slide forward, like it usually would have done. The terrified look fell from his face and it broke into a huge grin.

"It's not working!" The Doctor laughed in blatant relief.

The Dalek's eyepiece slid down to look at his useless gun. The Doctor laughed, manically.

"Fantastic! Oh, fantastic!" The Doctor crowed, spinning in a circle on his feet. "Powerless! Look at you. The Great Space Dustbin. How does it feel?" He growled, a massive smile stretched across his face, as he lunged towards the Dalek.

The Dalek strained against his chain, pulling back as far as it could. "Keep back!" It screeched.

The Doctor was inches from the Dalek, no longer worried about its safety, looking straight into its eyepiece. "What for? What're you going to do to me?" The Doctor asked, his eyes bright with hate and fury and vengeance. There was nothing but silence from the Dalek. "If you can't kill... then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you?" He circled the Dalek, revelling in his ability to taunt this creature, a creature that had caused him so much pain, had caused him to lose everything he had held so dear, everyone he had ever loved, _her_.

The Dalek followed his progress with its eyepiece.

"You're nothing." He growled, venomously. He paused. "What the hell are you here for?"

"I am waiting for orders." The Dalek intoned.

The Doctor frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I am a soldier. I was bred to receive orders."

The Doctor snorted. "Well you're never gonna get any. Not ever." He stressed the last two words, relishing them as they fell of his tongue.

"I demand orders!" The Dalek shouted.

"They're never gonna come!" The Doctor's voice rose as his anger did as well. "Your race is dead!" He hissed. "You all burnt, all of you. Ten million ships on fire, the entire Dalek race wiped out in one second." A sick pleasure coursed through him.

"You lie!"

"I watched it happen." He stomped closer to the imprisoned Dalek. "I _made_ it happen!" He growled with badly concealed delight.

"You destroyed us?"

_Beloved, stop, you are not this_. It was as if he could hear her actual voice murmuring in his mind. But she wasn't here. She had left him. After promising him she would never do that. Something changed in his expression, the joy in seeing the Dalek's suffering falling from his face. She would never want him to do that. He walked away from the Dalek, his back turned to it.

"I had no choice." The Doctor said, quietly. _She was dead. They were dead. There was nothing else left for me. I had no choice._ It was the constant mantra he had used for so long to at least try to assuage their soul-crushing guilt he felt for how he had ended the Time War.

"And what of the Time Lords?"

The Doctor paused. "Dead. They burnt with you. The end of the last great Time War. Everyone lost." He said, hoarsely.

"And the coward survived."

Again, anger rose and coursed through him like a tidal wave, mixed with anguish and pain and the burning loneliness that been his companion since the last day, when he killed them all. He turned back to the Dalek, adamant on making the Dalek feel at least half of what he was feeling, even though he knew that was impossible. "Oh, and I caught your little signal... help me... poor little thing..." The Doctor crooned, mockingly. He cleared his throat, his voice falling back into its normal tone. "But there's no one else coming 'cause there's no one else left."

The Dalek lowered its eyepiece. "I am alone in the Universe."

The Doctor smiled. "Yep."

"So are you."

The Doctor's smile faded.

"We are the same."

The Doctor spun around to face the Dalek, angrily. "We're not the same, I'm not-" The Doctor began, furiously, before stopping, abruptly. "No, wait. Maybe we are. You're right, yeah, okay. You've got a point." The Doctor moved slowly over to the control panel on the side. "'Cos I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve." He raised his eyebrows. "Exterminate." He murmured.

He pulled a lever on the control panel and the chains binding the Dalek were immediately engulfed in electricity, leading in a line towards the Dalek, which started to scream when the white-hot power coursed through it.

"Have pity!" The Dalek screeched amidst the high whine of the electricity.

"Why should I?" The Doctor asked, grimly. "You never did." And he turned the voltage up.

"Help me!"

Suddenly, security burst into the vault and grabbed the Doctor before he could lunge for the control panel and turn up the voltage more. Van Statten strode in and addressed the Dalek.

"I saved your life, now talk to me! Goddamn it, talk to me!" Van Statten shouted at it, impatiently.

"You've got to destroy it!" The Doctor shouted at Van Statten as he was dragged out of the room.

"The last in the Universe. And now I know your name. Dalek. Speak to me, Dalek." There was silence. "I am Henry van Statten, now recognise me!" He ordered. There was still only silence. He turned to the man who had been in charge of working on his two specimens. "Make it talk again, Simmons."

Simmons approached the Dalek with a greedy and sick look in his eye.

"Whatever it takes." Van Statten hissed.

* * *

Adam turned to the computer and tapped a few keys, while Rose observed him, impressed, over his shoulder.

"It doesn't do much, this alien. It's weird, it's kind of... useless, it's just like this... great big pepper pot." Adam explained. "The other one, she's kind of strange. She's just silent. Doesn't say a word."

He managed to access the surveillance that surveyed the Cage. The two watched as a man in protective gear approached the Dalek and began to torture it with a drill-like device. The Dalek screamed again.

"It's being tortured! Where's the Doctor?" Rose asked, alarmed and aghast at what was going on.

"I don't know." Adam shrugged.

"Take me down there. Now." Rose ordered and strode from the room.

* * *

The Doctor, Van Statten, Goddard and the security guards stepped into the lift.

"The metal's just battle armour, the real Dalek creature's inside." The Doctor said, grimly.

Van Statten looked interested. "What does it look like?"

"A nightmare. It's a mutation. The Dalek race was genetically engineered, every single emotion was removed except hate." The Doctor said, coldly.

An impressed look formed on Van Statten's face. "Genetically engineered... by whom?"

The Doctor glared at him, fury rising in him as he thought of the reason why the Dalek was still was alive. "By a genius, Van Statten. By a man who was king of his own little world, you'd like him." He said, darkly, thinking of Davros, who had caused so much pain to so many people. He had heard the reports towards the end of the war. He had captured her and she had died on Davros' ship as it went into the jaws of the Nightmare Child. That had been the only reason he had wanted to save the ship. Because of her. And she was still dead.

"It's been on Earth for over fifty years, sold at a private auction moving from one collection to another. Why would it be a threat now?" Goddard asked.

"Because I'm here. How did it get to Earth? Does anyone know?" The Doctor paused. "What about your other specimen?"

"Records say it came from the sky like a meteorite. It fell to Earth on the Ascension Islands, burnt in its crater for nearly three days before anybody could get near it and all that time it was screaming. It must've gone insane. The other one, she fell to Earth in exactly the same space, just twenty years later. People had been monitoring that location. They caught her just as she was crawling out of the crater."

The Doctor frowned. _She? So it's a woman. She probably jumped a time track as it was crashing. Who or what could she be? If she landed in the exact same place as the Dalek, then maybe- No! I would have felt it if she were._

"Must've fallen through time. The only survivors." The Doctor murmured, absentmindedly, trying to think of what she could possibly be. _Maybe she was part of the Sisterhood of Karn. But they wouldn't have fought in the war. Why would she have been caught on a Dalek ship?_

"You talked about a war?" Goddard asked.

"The Time War. The final battle between my people and the Dalek race." The Doctor explained.

"But you survived too." Van Statten raised his head, looking at the Doctor with an undecipherable look in his eyes.

"Not by choice." The Doctor said, darkly. His eyes closed as he realised that was truest thing he had said today.

After Davros' ship had fallen into the Nightmare Child, he hadn't wanted to fight for any longer than he had to. She had died, they had died, and he was alone for the rest of the war. He had just wanted the war to end at that point. It was the only reason he had stolen the Moment and used it to breach the Time Lock around Gallifrey and Skaro and destroy the Daleks and the Time Lords. It was her device, even if she didn't even remember creating it. He remembered when she had first told him about it. She had told him he was the only one who would ever have use for it. At that time he had laughed, they had been children back then, in their last year at the Academy, he hadn't understood why he would ever need to use anything like the Moment. But she had been so insistent.

He hadn't wanted to survive after using the Moment. He had almost wanted to force his regeneration not to work after the war just so he could die. It wasn't like there was anything for him to live for anymore. He flinched. But that would be too easy for him. Death was too good a punishment for him. It was better for him to live the rest of his regenerations knowing that he hadn't been there for her when she had needed him, when they had needed him. She had died because he wasn't there to protect her. When he had found out what Rassilon had done to her before the war started, he had cursed himself on a constant basis for not being there for her or for his family. Everyone had died because of him. He deserved to live with this guilt.

"This means that the Dalek isn't the only alien on Earth, Doctor, there's you. The only one of your kind in existence." Van Statten smirked.

* * *

Hearing the Dalek scream had sent shivers racing up and down her body. She wasn't used to hearing a creature like the Dalek experience pain in this way. This coupled with the way she had been treated since she was found in that crater made her rethink the way he had spoken about humanity. If they were so great, how could they tie up creatures they had no idea about and torture them in the name of science?

Her eyes closed, wondering if the intruder would come and see her next. What could this intruder possibly be that they could cause such a strange reaction in a Dalek? Could they cause such a reaction in her? She was hardly prone to extreme emotion like that. Thirty years of experiments and torture by so many different people and she hadn't screamed once. A curiosity that she hadn't experienced for a long time rose and she desperately wanted to know who the intruder was. If he could affect the Dalek like that, then could he be- No, they were all dead. He had to be either human or an alien, but not that kind of alien.

That was not possible.

* * *

Lights flashed on, illuminating the Doctor, who had been chained up against a rack and with his torso stripped of any clothes, wearing only his dark jeans. Van Statten stood behind a instrument, resembling a ray gun, which was pointed at the Doctor.

"Now, smile!" Van Statten said, mockingly, before turning the machine on.

The instrument shot some red light at the Doctor, running some sort of scan over the Doctor's torso. The Doctor writhed in his chains in main, grimacing. The scan image in front of Van Statten showed the Doctor's ribcage with two hearts beating within it.

"Two hearts." Van Statten sighed, switching off the machine. He turned to the man next to him. "Binary vascular system. So much for being the only one of his kind. I can't patent this. He's exactly like the other one."

The Doctor froze in his restraints. _Two hearts…_ His limbs felt slack and he no longer had the strength to keep himself steady.

_A Time Lady_…

* * *

A/N: So, there was the first chapter of _Dream Weaver_. Hope you all liked the chapter and the suspense. It is kind of odd to be writing an episode in order. Anyway, we had some switching of POVs in this chapter. I went back and forth between my OC and the Doctor quite a bit. I wonder what kind of relationship the two of them have. The Doctor keeps mentioning a "she" and the woman keeps mentioning a "he". It's quite sad actually, neither of them is willing to believe that any Time Lord/Time Lady survived. I know the Doctor was a little more vicious in this chapter with the Dalek. I made him that way because we got to see exactly what he had lost in the war to turn him this vengeful. Oh, and by the way, in this story, Davros didn't die until towards the end of the Time War. I know the Doctor said in _The Stolen Earth_ that Davros died in the first year of the Time War, but I changed it around because of my OC's back-story. And she was the reason why the Doctor used the Moment in the first place. I wonder why? She has quite a history with both Davros and Rassilon, but we won't see that until Season 4, unfortunately. And I wonder how my OC knew that the Doctor would use the Moment? Hmm…


	2. Dalek: Time Lady Tortured

Dream Weaver – Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, unfortunately. It all belongs to whoever has the copyright, which is definitely not me.

A/N: Here we have the second chapter for _Dalek_. And the reunion between our Time Lord and Time Lady and maybe some answers of what their relationship might be. Don't worry, this won't be like in _The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_, I'll try not to keep too many secrets in this story. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

And the way I'm gonna update this story is I will update this story on Wednesdays and I will update _The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_ on Sundays, that way you guys get two updates a week!

Replies to Reviews:

dream lighting: Hopefully, the Doctor does save her. We'll have to wait a little while for a jealous Rose, though, I'm afraid.

Tiara Peterson: Thank you so much!

skinnerwho: I'm so glad you like it. I tried to convey the right amount of anger and fear between the Doctor and the Dalek, I'm glad you think it was good.

NicoleR85: The Time Lady won't take any crap from Rose or anyone. She's quite a strong person. River will be nice in this story, but we will see a bitchy Rose in Season 2. The Time Lady will stick up for herself against Rose, because she's a little antagonistic. I know, I don't really like it when Time Ladies don't stick up for themselves, especially with Rose, because she has a history of putting down any romantic rivals she has.

tooker86: I'm so glad you liked it!

tardis-tea-time: I'm so glad you like it so far! Hopefully, I can continue that :)

yashendra2797: Thank you so much! That's interesting, how you think that the Doctor and the Time Lady aren't thinking of each other. Well, you'll have to read and find out ;)

Warnings: None for this chapter.

_Italics_ – thoughts – both individual and to each other/flashbacks.

* * *

Dalek: Time Lady Tortured

"_Two hearts." Van Statten sighed, switching off the machine. He turned to the man next to him. "Binary vascular system. So much for being the only one of his kind. I can't patent this. He's exactly like the other one."_

_The Doctor froze in his restraints. Two hearts… His limbs felt slack and he no longer had the strength to keep himself steady._

_A Time Lady…_

The Doctor gritted his teeth against the need to break free from the restraints and find the woman, the Time Lady, who could be his salvation. He forced himself to remain chained up, to listen to the arrogant man in front of him blather on about his achievements. A pang of fear settled in his bones as he realised that the Dalek would definitely break free now, now that it knew that he was in the building. A surge of care and protectiveness rose in him as realised that he couldn't take the chance of the Dalek finding out that there was a Time Lady in the same building.

"So that's your secret. You don't just collect this stuff, you scavenge it." The Doctor said, scathingly, glaring at Van Statten.

"This technology has been falling to Earth for centuries. All it took was the right mind to use it properly. Oh, the advances I've made from alien junk, you have no idea, Doctor. Broadband? Roswell." Van Statten took a few steps closer to the Doctor. "Just last year my scientists cultivated bacteria from the Russian Crater, and do you know what they found?" The Doctor looked at him angrily but questioningly. "The cure for the common cold. Kept it strictly within the laboratory of course, no need to get people excited. Why sell one cure when I can sell a thousand palliatives?" He smiled, smugly.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the human. "Do you know what a Dalek is, Van Statten? A Dalek is honest." He said, quietly. "It does what it was born to do for the survival of its species, that creature in your dungeon is better than you." He growled.

"In that case, I will be true to myself and continue." Van Statten walked back over to the scanner.

The Doctor cursed under his breath, worry rising in him. This man wasn't going to listen to him and consequences would be calamitous. "Listen to me, that thing downstairs is going to kill every last one of us!" The Doctor said, frantically, trying his hardest to get Van Statten to see it his way.

"Nothing can escape the Cage." Van Statten put forth again, stubbornly.

He switched the machine on again and the red light was sent out again at the Doctor, who writhed in pain.

"But it's woken up! It knows I'm here! It's gonna get out! Van Statten, I swear no one on this base is safe! No one on this planet!" The Doctor shouted in desperation, despite the pain.

The scan was run again and the Doctor groaned in pain, his head swinging back.

* * *

Adam entered the lobby outside the Cage, followed by Rose.

"Hold it right there!" A man tried to stop them from entering.

Adam flashed his ID card at the guards. "Level three access. Special clearance from Mr Van Statten." He said, smugly, as the two passed Simmons and entered the Cage.

Rose swallowed hard, staring at the Dalek with alarm which was trapped by the chains.

"Don't get too close…" Adam warned as the door shut behind them.

Rose walked slowly until she was right in front of the Dalek's eyepiece and peered right into the blue light, not noticing that it watched her every movement.

"Hello?" Rose called out.

The Dalek didn't say a word and simply continued to watch her.

Concern rose in Rose. "Are you in pain? My name's Rose Tyler. I've got a friend, he can help. He's called the Doctor. What's your name?"

There was a pause. "Yes." The Dalek said.

"What?"

The Dalek raised its eyepiece so that it could look Rose in the face. "I am in pain. They tortured me. But still they fear me. Do you fear me?" The Dalek asked, it's sharp, mechanical voice slow and weary.

"No." Rose said, naively, shaking her head.

The Dalek lowered its eyepiece. "I am dying."

Rose's eyes widened. "No, we can help!"

"I welcome death. But I am glad... that before I die... I met a human who was not afraid."

Rose paled, overwhelmed with sadness and pity. "Isn't there anything I can do?"

"My race is dead. I shall die alone."

Tears formed in Rose's eyes and she reached out a hand and placed it on the Dalek.

Adam's eyes widened. "Rose, no!" He shouted, but he was too late.

Suddenly, the place where Rose had placed her hand burnt orange and she snatched it away with a hiss because of the heat.

"Genetic material extrapolated, initiate cellular reconstruction!" The Dalek's tone turned strong. It burst out of its chains with a new strength, sparks flying from it.

Simmons entered the room, bearing a large gun. "What the hell have you done?" He shouted, approaching the Dalek.

It raised the plunger-like device that came out of its shell.

"Whatcha gonna do? Sucker me to death?" Simmons asked, mockingly.

The Dalek wrapped the device around the man's face and proceeded to do just that, his entire face disappearing into the plunger, his skull cracking as it sucked inwards. Rose and Adam rushed outside, desperate to get away from the Dalek.

"It's killing him! Do something!" Rose shouted at the man who had protested to them entering the Cage.

"Condition red! Repeat, condition red! This is not a drill!" The man shouted over the intercom.

* * *

Her eyes widened as she heard the man's cry for help over the intercom, starting a new struggle in her restraints, as she realised that the Dalek had escaped from its chains. She fell slack against the gurney she was lying on and closed her eyes in resignation when she realised that there was no one in the room or anywhere in her surrounding s to help her out of these straps.

She would be cursed with the fate of every other member of her species if the Dalek found her. And she was sure that the Dalek would find her.

There was no one left to save her.

* * *

Van Statten, when he heard the message coming over the intercom, looked up, as did the Doctor, who was sweating due to the pain.

"Release me if you want to live." The Doctor growled, wearily. _I have to find her._

* * *

The Doctor opened the door to the second vault. _She had been so close._ He pursed his lips and stepped into the room, his eyes closing as the smell of blood assaulted his senses. A furious anger rose in him as he realised that Van Statten had been torturing her in a completely different manner than how he had experimented on him. An intense terror settled in his bones as realised that the Dalek had been right next to the Time Lady. _She could've been exterminated at any moment._

A petite woman was lying, bound to a gurney, leather straps stretched across her mouth, her breasts, hips and ankles. The woman's eyes were closed and her hair was matted, sticking to her forehead, tinted red from the blood. He could see the remnants of tears on her cheeks and bloody marks on her face where the blood had dripped down from her cuts, travelling down her body in both directions and landing on the stretcher. While that stung him like nothing else, the numerous scars, already healed and still raw, etched into the skin of her torso carved into his ribs and pierced into his hearts. His eyes widened as he noticed the two bands of mental wrapped around her neck and forehead. He rushed over to the gurney, his hands shaking as he removed the bands. _The reason why I couldn't tell she was alive_.

And then he recoiled.

Searing rage coursed through him as his calloused fingers ran over her face, simply trying to memorise her features in his mind. Her eyes fluttered open and he swallowed hard, just needing to know she was okay. He smiled, suddenly. _Her eyes are brown_. _She's so beautiful_.

And she really was. Even despite the blood and sweat and grime in her long dark tresses, dark bruises under her eyes, contrasting against her amber skin, dry and cracked lips.

She was beautiful.

* * *

_She was startled suddenly when she heard noises coming from her window. She frowned, laying the book back on the bed, shut, and pulled back the sheets she was lying under. She pursed her lips, wondering whether she should investigate further, when a head popped out, resting on the windowsill, giving her a fright._

_She breathed heavily. "That was not amusing. You just about gave me an aneurysm." She said, sternly, but only half-meaning it._

_He laughed. "Of course it was." She watched as he climbed onto the windowsill and landed in her room with a thud._

_Her eyes snapped to her bedroom door, terror lacing her gaze. She didn't dare breathe until she was sure she could not hear any footsteps outside the door. She sighed with relief and turned to glare at him._

"_You are absolutely mad." She said, rolling her eyes._

_He shrugged and jumped onto her bed, enjoying the bounce for a few moments, before he crawled to where she was lying. He dropped like a sack of potatoes on the pillow next to her._

"_If my father finds you here, he'll whip both of us blind." She whispered, hurriedly, until he covered her lips with a finger._

"_He left a little while ago. Was waiting until he did." That same cocky smirk on his face made her itch to slap him nicely._

_She shook her head, exasperatedly. "Silly boy." She said, fondly._

"_No," He grinned, widely. "Just mad for you." He reached up to press his lips against hers. _

_She whimpered against his mouth, her lips parting, as she cupped his face in one hand and his hands slid into her dark crimson locks. She broke away, unwillingly._

"_My father…" He kissed her again, thoroughly removing any more thoughts of her father from her mind._

"_Theta…" She moaned as his lips left hers and settled on the soft skin of her neck, trailing a line of kisses down her shoulder, pushing down the strap of her dress to gain access to more skin._

"_Annika…" He murmured against her skin. "My 'Nikki." He growled._

_She threw her head back as his lips trailed lower and lower, tossing the book off the bed and covering his body with hers._

* * *

Her heart ached, silently, as she reached a hand and touched his jaw line, biting her lip. Disbelief rose in her and she resisted the urge to sob out loud, thinking that this was just her mind playing a trick on her. He couldn't be here. Not now. Not ever. He was gone. And she was alone.

Then she was free, she was gasping and his hands were on her, pulling her into his embrace, one large, rough hand cupping the back of his neck and the other twisting into her hair, as he whispered soothing nonsensical words in their lyrical mother tongue. And finally, she did sob, burying her face in his jumper, her nose rubbing against the soft wool.

His mind reached out for hers, the familiar presence sinking into her, making her whimper in his hold. And she sobbed anew. Had it really been that long since she had his hands on her skin?

His mind thrummed against hers as she curled into him, in his arms and mind, her strong, reassuring presence, despite her physical injuries, acting as balm to his wounds, soothing every possible hurt it could find. He ran one long finger down the length of her face, stopping at the base of her chin, tipping it up so that he could look her in the eye and breathed, brokenly, in relief, pressing his forehead against hers. _She was here. Oh, Omega, she was here. She was alive._

His hand trailed down her bare back, only now noticing that she was naked. His eyes darkened with hatred, fury and possessiveness clouding his ability to think clearly. Her small, soft hand on his face distracted him enough to concentrate on her again.

_Okay?_ He asked her.

She nodded against his chest. He clucked his tongue, extracting himself from her for a second, wrapping his leather jacket around her small body, the large, weighty clothing practically engulfing her. Her hands gripped the edges of the jacket, holding it close to her body so that everything would be covered.

Suddenly, she remembered something amidst the chilling relief that he was alive. _Theta, the Dalek!_ Her voice was light and straining to get the words out, still weak, both mentally and physically.

"It's okay… Priestess." The Doctor tried the title out on his new tongue, smiling in reminiscence. It had been so long since he had used her title, let alone her name. He hadn't even dared to think either name after the War. The guilt had gnawed at him too much. "It'll be fine." He helped her off the gurney, his hands shaking when she cried out in pain from the cuts and bruises on her skin.

_You're not okay. You're bleeding. A lot. _He told her, worriedly.

The Priestess shook her head in the negative, still pressing herself against him. _Not now. Not while the Dalek is still in the base. When everything is over, when everyone is safe, then I will attend to myself. But not now._

_You won't 'attend' to yourself. I'll do it, 'Nikki._

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _Very well, shall we leave then?_

He tucked her inside her body, making sure the leather jacket was wrapped correctly around her, leading her out of the vault. He glared at Van Statten, the fury returning. He took a step forward, but the Priestess placed her hand on his arm, halting them.

_Not now._ She warned him. _The Dalek must be the priority now. Everyone will die if it leaves the base._

"I'll deal with you later." The Doctor told Van Statten, darkly. He revelled in the terror that appeared on Van Statten's face, smirking inwardly. _My Annika. Hurt 'cause of him. He'll pay. I'll make sure of it._ Unbeknownst to him, he had been sending these very thoughts through the connection he had with the Priestess. She reached out a hand and squeezed his, knowing entirely too well what he was capable of when he got into this mood.

* * *

They, along with Van Statten, Goddard and the security guards exited the lift and entered Van Statten's office. The Doctor immediately rushed to a monitor, pulling the Priestess along with him and settling her into one of the chairs, addressing the lobby through the communication link.

"You've got to keep it in that cell." The Doctor warned.

"Doctor, it's all my fault." Rose said, mournfully. She frowned at the woman sitting in the chair next to the Doctor. "Who's she?"

"She's…" He trailed off, taking a quick look at the Priestess. "She's someone, I'll explain later." The Doctor said, hurriedly, not wanting to get into the specifics right this moment, and slightly annoyed at the irrelevant question. He forced down the irritation he felt against Rose going to see the Dalek in the first place. _She's just a kid. Didn't know what she's doing._ He reminded himself.

"I've sealed the compartment." One of the guards down in the lobby interjected. "It can't get out, that lock's got a billion combinations."

The Priestess pushed herself out of the chair, despite the Doctor's protests, so that she could be closer to the monitor. "The Dalek is a genius. It will be able to calculate a _thousand_ billion combinations in one second." She said the first words she had spoken in more than a century. Her voice was hoarse and light from disuse. She hated the fact that her first words in this body had to be about the Dalek. She wished so much that her first words could have been a proper sentiment to the Doctor.

The Doctor turned to Goddard, who was standing next to him. "Do you mind getting her like a blanket or a robe or somethin'?" Goddard nodded and made to leave when he stopped her. "Wait, what were the bands around her head and neck for?" He asked, his voice icy.

Goddard's face fell, ashamed at how they had treated the woman in the Doctor's embrace. It was one thing to hurt the Dalek, it was bent on destroying everyone. But the woman hadn't done anything, hadn't even spoken a word ever since she had been bought at auction.

"It was a dampener." Goddard answered, her voice quiet and meek. "It was to stop her brainwaves." She said, leaving briefly and coming back with a long red cloak, which the Doctor wrapped around the Priestess' frame.

The Doctor turned to Van Statten. "Why?" He growled out.

Van Statten looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Her brainwaves were off the chart. We didn't know anything about her! She could have been calling for help or trying to kill us, who knows!?"

"What, with brainwaves, you moron?" The Doctor asked, mockingly, then took a deep breath. "All she has to do is tell me to hurt you and I will." He warned him, his voice dark. "Alien, me, remember? The only thing the Dalek's afraid of. I won the war. You don't wanna know what I'm capable of."

* * *

Rose and Adam stood before the door next to the security guards, who were aiming the guns at the door. In no time at all, the door opened with no hesitation.

"Open fire!" One of the security guards shouted.

Rose flinched and jumped back when all of the guards started to shoot at the Dalek.

* * *

"Don't shoot it, I want it unharmed!" Van Statten shouted at the monitor.

The Doctor pursed his lips, annoyed that he couldn't do anything more. "Rose, get out of there!" He ordered.

* * *

The Dalek advanced on everyone standing outside its cell, the bullets having absolutely no effect whatsoever on it. A guard turned to another.

"De Maggio, take the civilians and get them out alive. That is your job, got that?" He growled at her, reloading his gun.

"You," De Maggio turned to Rose and Adam. "With me."

They followed her, moving past the lines of security guards and out of the Cage. The Dalek approaches the screen displaying the Doctor, the Priestess, Van Statten and Goddard and the plunger-like device coming out of its shell smashed straight into the monitor. Then, long and piercing waves of electricity seemed to course right through it. The Dalek wailed as the peeling metal on its shell began to bend back in shape, the rust fading away, the electricity making it look perfect again.

"Abandoning the cage, sir." The security guard said into the mouthpiece.

* * *

Goddard was tapping into a computer as Van Statten stood behind her, the Doctor standing behind the chair with the Priestess in it, all three staring at the monitor.

"We're losing power. It's draining the base." Goddard paled and stilled. "Oh, my God. It's raiding entire power supplies for the whole of Utah." She whispered.

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look.

"It is downloading." They said at the same time.

Van Statten glared at them. "Downloading what?"

"Sir, the entire West Coast has gone down." Goddard said, her hands flying over the keyboard as the map on the screen turned dark around the West Coast.

The Doctor tensed, his fingers curling into a fist on the chair. "It's not just energy. That Dalek just absorbed the entire Internet. It knows everything."

Suddenly, Goddard reeled back, her hands flat on the table. "Sir, the cameras in the vault have gone down."

The Doctor knelt down in front of the computer, his eyes scanning the screen. "We've only got emergency power, it's eaten everything else, you've got to kill it now!" He shouted.

"All guards to converge in the Metaltron cage, immediately." Goddard ordered into her microphone.

* * *

Rose and Adam rushed past another bunch of security guards, led by De Maggio.

"Civilians! Let them through!" De Maggio ordered the other soldiers and they parted so that the three could get through and out of the Dalek's sight.

The guards pointed their guns ready in the direction they anticipated the Dalek would come from. The soldier from the Cage ran into the corridor.

"Cover the north wall: Red division, maintain suppressing fire along the perimeter, Blue Division hold." He shouted.

Suddenly, a bright green light shot him and he was instantly exterminated by the Dalek behind him. Immediately, the guards immediately started firing at the Dalek, but the bullets melted before they can even touch the armour, the Dalek forming a force-field around itself. The Dalek was surrounded by soldiers on all sides, but it simply exterminated them, one by one, the bullets having no effect.

* * *

"Tell them to stop shooting at it!" Van Statten shouted at Goddard.

"It's killing them!" Goddard stared at him with something akin to hatred.

"They're dispensable, that Dalek is unique." He snatched the intercom from her. "I don't want a scratch on its body work? Do you hear me? Do you hear me?"

There was only silence, the gun shots having faded away.

Goddard pulled up a map of the base on the computer screen, showing the Doctor and the Priestess.

"That's us right below the surface. That's the cage and that's the Dalek." She pointed at a blue light moving along the corridor.

The Doctor stared at the map, grimly. "This museum of yours, have you got any alien weapons?"

Goddard nodded. "Lots of them, but the trouble is the Dalek's between us and them."

"We've got to keep that thing alive. We could just seal the entire vault, trap it down there." Van Statten offered.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, standing up, abruptly, anger etched into his sharp features. "Leaving everyone trapped with it? Rose is down there. I won't let that happen. Have you got that?" He snarled.

The Priestess chanced a look at the Doctor, noting down the name 'Rose' and the way the Doctor had reacted to the thought of that girl she had seen on the screen before die. _Could he have…? _She swallowed hard at that thought. _If he has, I cannot blame him. He thought I had died. _

Van Statten stood up as well, ready to object, but the Doctor had already turned back to the computer screen and Goddard.

"It's got to go through this area. What's that?" The Doctor asked, pointing a bit of blank space on the map.

"Weapons testing."

"Give guns to the lawyers, technicians, anyone. Everyone. Only then have you got a chance of killing it." The Doctor ordered.

Goddard nodded and left the room, heading over there.

The Doctor frowned, looking at the heavy lidded eyes of the Priestess, noticing that she could barely keep her eyes open. He guessed that she would most likely have to put herself into a healing coma once they got out of this mess. She was severely injured, deep cuts and unhealed bruises as far as he could see, but there could be more. Who knew what kind of torture Van Statten and the others had put her through during the past thirty years? The thought planted the idea of tearing apart Van Statten with his bare hands into his head. But he knew he had to be calm, he was the only way at least a few people would survive this, the only way the Priestess would survive this. He had to be strong. For her, at least. She had already gone through too much for him to let her down now.

He reached out and cupped her face in one hand, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb.

_'Nika, are y__ou tired? _He asked her through their connection.

_I feel weak, that is all. Healing coma should work_. _Do not concern yourself with me._ Even her voice in his head was weak, never mind her actual voice. He had heard it before when she had addressed the security guards and Goddard. It was beautiful now, he couldn't imagine what it would sound like when she was all healed.

"I always worry about you. Practically built into me." He said, quietly, and his lips curved into an answering grin when she smiled at him. It was a small one, just her lips quirking at the edges, but it was a smile. And that was enough for him right now.

He took Goddard's place at the computer, turning his attention back to the screen.

* * *

Rose, still running through the corridors, careened to a halt when she found herself at the foot of a flight of stairs.

"Stairs! That's more like it!" Rose laughed in relief.

Adam ran up behind her, stopping as well.

Rose turned to face him and a rushing De Maggio. "It hasn't got legs, it's stuck!" She exclaimed

"It's coming! Get up!" De Maggio ordered, pushing them up the stairs.

The three ran up the stairs and looked over the banister to watch the Dalek approaching. It stopped at the foot of the stairs. Adam breathed a small sigh of relief. It ran its eyepiece over the stairs until it landed on De Maggio, Rose and Adam.

"Great big alien death machine. Defeated by a flight of stairs." Adam said, mockingly.

De Maggio still had her gun pointed at the Dalek. "Now, listen to me. I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate, then I guarantee that Mr Van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong. But people have died, and that stops. Right now. The killing stops, have you got that?"

The Dalek merely watched her, not saying a word.

"I demand that you surrender, is that clear?" De Maggio snarled.

There was a short pause from the Dalek. "El-ev-ate." It stuttered. The Dalek levitated in the air and floated up the first few steps of the stairs.

"Oh, my god." Rose breathed.

The Dalek proceeded up the stairs. Adam looked gobsmacked.

"Adam, get her out of here." De Maggio ordered.

"Come with us, you can't stop it!" Rose told De Maggio, urgently.

"Someone's got to try. Now get out!" De Maggio shoved them away. "Don't look back, just run!" She shouted.

Adam and Rose proceeded to rush up the rest of the stairs, the Dalek advancing on the three of them, while De Maggio shot at it without avail.

Moments later, Rose and Adam heard the sound of the Dalek's gun and De Maggio's final scream as she was exterminated. They ran down the corridor terrified.

* * *

"I thought you were the great expert, Doctor." Van Statten said, snidely.

The Doctor, still switching between concerned looks at the Priestess and intense stares at the monitor, did not answer.

"If you're so impressive, then why not just reason with this Dalek? It must be willing to negotiate, there must be something it needs, everything needs something." Van Statten went on.

"What's the nearest town?" The Doctor asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Salt Lake City."

"Population?"

"One million."

"Dead." The Priestess said, hoarsely.

The Doctor nodded. "If the Dalek gets out, it'll murder every living creature, that's all it needs."

"But why would it do that?!" Van Statten shouted, furiously.

"Because it honestly believes they should die." The Doctor said, flatly. "Human beings are different, and anything different is wrong. It's the ultimate in racial cleansing and you, Van Statten, you've let it loose!" He growled out.

* * *

The soldiers positioned themselves in the empty corridor of the weapons testing area.

"The Dalek's surrounded by a force field. The bullets are melting before they even hit home but it's not indestructible. If you concentrate your fire, you might get through." The Doctor explained over the intercom.

The soldiers waited, apprehensively.

"Aim for the dome, the head, the eyepiece. That's the weak spot."

"Thank you, Doctor, but I think I know how to fight one single tin robot. Positions!" The commander said, sarcastically.

They readied their guns and waited for the Dalek to come. After a few moments, Rose and Adam ran into view, right in the middle of the open area.

"Hold your fire!" The commander shouted before anyone could release the trigger.

Rose and Adam stopped suddenly.

"You two, get the hell out of there!" The commander shouted.

Rose and Adam made it outside the door the moment the Dalek slowly came into view. They stopped for a moment to watch what it would do and whether the soldiers would be able to stop it. The Dalek also stopped and it focused on them. Its eyepiece zoomed right in on Rose's face and turned in their direction. Adam grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her away, but she stopped again.

"It was looking at me." Rose panted.

"Yeah, it wants to slaughter us!" Adam hissed.

Rose yanked her hand away. "I know! But it was looking right at me."

"So?" Adam asked, impatiently. "It's just a sort of metal eye thing, it's looking all around!"

Rose shook her head. "I don't know... it's like there's something inside looking at me, like... like it knows me."

The Dalek made its way to the door that Adam and Rose had just passed through.

"On my mark..." The Commander began. The Dalek looked up at them. "Open fire!" He shouted.

Everyone started to shoot at the Dalek. However, like before, the bullets disappeared inside a force-field before they could even have an effect.

* * *

"We've got vision." Goddard said.

The Doctor and the Priestess stood up and looked at the monitor, which showed a picture of the weapons testing area.

"It wants us to see." The Doctor said, darkly.

The Dalek was looking straight at the camera, completely unperturbed by the volley of gunshots. It slowly levitated into the air until it was hovering near the ceiling. It fired it's gun at the fire alarm, causing the fire sprinklers to rain water from the ceiling. The bullets kept coming but the Dalek paid no heed. It aimed at a man who had his feet firmly planted on the wet ground and shot its exterminator beam at him. The electricity spread from that one man through the wet ground and reached everyone else who happened to be standing on the drenched pavement, the concrete acting as a conductor for the electricity. The rest of the team began to fall like flies except for the commander and one of his men who were sheltered from the sprinklers' assault.

"Fall back! Fall back!" The commander shouted.

The Dalek raised its gun and exterminated both of them and then observed the tens of lifeless forms lying on the wet ground with the shells of their useless bullets lying scattered all across the floor.

* * *

A/N: I decided to stop there and finish _Dalek_ in three chapters. Most of the other episodes should only be two chapters, but this one had extra scenes in it, so it was a bit longer.

We finally got a reunion between our resident Time Lord and Time Lady! And it was such a sad reunion, wasn't it? And we now have names. I'd like everyone to meet Annika or the Priestess. There's definitely a relationship between them. I'm pretty sure they were going to have sex in that flashback and they share a mental connection, however the latter could only be because they're the last two of their race. A warning though, the Priestess will not regenerate. She's got a couple of seasons in this body, don't worry. The cover for this story should be up on Tumblr by now if you would like to know which actress I picture playing the Priestess.

How did you all like the flashback? Unfortunately, there won't be immediate sexy times between the Doctor and the Priestess because I still haven't managed to tell you all what the extent of their relationship is yet. That should be explained in the next chapter, in the finale of _Dalek_. But I do really want some smut in this story, before the Doctor regenerates.

I wonder what will happen in the next chapter. Will the Dalek still feel remorse for what it did? What role will Rose play in the conflict between the Dalek and the Time Lord/Lady? And what role will she have in the bigger storyline? Rose really annoyed me in this episode, and unfortunately the Priestess won't have a chance to call her out on it. Did anyone notice that Adam told Rose not to go close to the Dalek and she still went close. Then, Adam told Rose not to touch the Dalek and she still touched the Dalek. She just seemed entirely too smug for my taste in this episode. The Doctor might just get irritated at her for releasing the Dalek, though.

We might even get some explanations how the Priestess knew that the Doctor would use the Moment one day. I'm sorry that the Priestess wasn't able to do as much in these two chapters, regarding the Dalek. She probably won't be able to do as much in the next chapter either. Unfortunately, she's still really weak and she really does need that healing coma. We'll get a proper, really nice and private reunion between the Doctor and the Priestess in the next chapter, I promise.

Anyway, hope everyone liked it and I really would like to know what everyone thought.

Please review!


	3. Dalek: Lone Wolf, No More

Dream Weaver – Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who unfortunately, I mean, I doubt many people would be writing fanfiction if they owned Doctor Who. However, the Priestess is definitely my property.

A/N: Here we have the final chapter for _Dalek_ as well as the hopeful reunion between the Doctor and the Priestess. We might even get some smut at the end of this chapter, if we're lucky. I haven't quite decided yet.

Replies to Reviews:

NicoleR85: I can't wait, either. It'll be fun, I promise. I feel as though no one gave Rose a reality check and they just enabled her selfishness. So, that's what the Priestess is here for.

DRWfangirl: We'll have to wait and see. Rose and her will have a somewhat okay relationship in this story, but the next story (Season 2), they'll have quite a turbulent relationship. I always thought that Rose didn't start to have romantic feelings for the Doctor until Season 2, or at the very least, the finale for Season 1. So, we'll have to see Season 2 for more sparks.

Tiara Peterson: My least favourite episode was _Turn Left_ because I thought Rose was a very poor imitation of the Doctor. I think she just got a bit too full of herself in the later of half of Season 2 onwards. But thank you so much for the review and hope you enjoy the chapter!

yashendra2797: Thank you so much! And I think 'jhakaas' was from Anil Kapoor, wasn't it?

EmmieRaeJean: I agree with what you said about Rose 100%. I don't hate Rose, I just hate that she gets lauded as the best companion and the one true love of the Doctor. She was good in Season 1, but her character kind of deteriorated in Season 2. In Season 2, she was known more for her feelings for the Doctor rather than what she did in each episode. They'll have an interesting dynamic in Season 2, I promise. The Priestess is a bit of a bitch. She won't be taking a lot of Rose's crap the way the Doctor did. I didn't like the way Rose treated Mickey and Sarah-Jane. I know people say that Sarah-Jane started the conversation, but when Rose ran into Sarah-Jane and the Doctor in the corridor, she kind of looked over Sarah-Jane in a judgemental way and said "Who's she?" in a _very_ displeased way. And then, later in the computer room, Rose was the one who got hostile, not Sarah Jane. Sarah-Jane was just reacting to Rose the entire time. Rose's treatment of Mickey is pretty much gospel. And Rose's treatment of Mickey at the end of _School Reunion_ was horrible, she didn't want Mickey to come with them, but she could've been so much nicer about it. She didn't have to act like a spoilt brat and turn her head the other way. I can't imagine how hurt Mickey must have been after that. I mean, before they dated, they must have been friends, right? Rose just kind of spat in the face of that. People try and justify Rose, saying she's young and young people do selfish things. I can't think of many young people who would make the same choices Rose did. I think Rose was just a poor plot device. They just needed a romantic interest for the Doctor and Rose was it. It would have been better if they had left it to the imagination. If they had made it clear that the Doctor and Rose were just friends, we would ship them harder because it was left to the imagination. Now, they just kind of shoved it down our throats that the Doctor and Rose were in love with each other.

LuzElvaParra17: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like 9 and Nikki together!

Warnings: Sexual situations, but no smut in this chapter. Maybe some swearing, not sure yet.

* * *

Dalek: Lone Wolf, No More

_The Dalek raised its gun and exterminated both of them and then observed the tens of lifeless forms lying on the wet ground with the shells of their useless bullets lying scattered all across the floor._

There was complete and utter silence in Van Statten's office. The Doctor looked at the Priestess, whose face was drained of blood, breathing heavily with shock.

"Perhaps…" Van Statten swallowed hard, stunned by what he had just seen the Dalek do. "It's time for a new strategy, maybe we should consider abandoning this place."

Goddard glared, furiously, at the man who was responsible for so many deaths. "Except there's no power to the helipad, sir." She growled. "We _can't_ get out."

"You said you could seal the vault." The Doctor said.

Van Statten moved over to the computer. "It was designed to be a bunker. In the event of nuclear war, steel bulkheads-"

Goddard interrupted him. "There's not enough power, those bulkheads are massive."

"We've got emergency power, we can re-route that to the bulkhead doors." The Doctor argued.

"We'd have to bypass the security codes, that would take a computer genius!"

"Good thing you've got me, then." Van Statten said, suddenly.

"You want to help?" The Doctor asked, incredulously.

"I don't want to die, Doctor," Van Statten said, sharply. "Simple as that. Nobody knows this software better than me."

The screen showing the footage of the basement suddenly flashed back to life. The Dalek was still standing in the middle of the open areas, bodies strewn all around it and water still pouring. At first, only Goddard noticed.

"Sir.." Goddard began, drawing everyone's attention.

The Doctor and Van Statten turned around to look at the screen.

"I shall speak only to the Doctor." The Dalek said.

The Doctor slowly straightened up, not taking his eyes off the Dalek, and moved in front of the Priestess, so that she was hidden from the Dalek's voice. The instinct to protect her overwhelmed everything else and his hand reached behind him and gripped the one she had placed on the arm of her chair.

_Be careful, my love, the Dalek is dangerous._ The Priestess warned him, her hand tightening around his.

"You're gonna get rusty." The Doctor's tone was light, but his eyes betrayed his fury and terror.

"I fed off the DNA of Rose Tyler. Extrapolating the biomass of a time traveller regenerated me." The Dalek replied.

The Doctor paled, realising that Rose had touched the Dalek. She had been the one to free it, let it loose. A burning disappointment in his human companion rose in him. "What's your next trick?" The Doctor asked the Dalek, scathingly.

"I have been searching for the Daleks."

"Yeah, I saw." The Doctor smirked. "Downloading the Internet." He stepped closer to the screen, still making sure the Priestess was behind him. "What did you find?" He asked, carefully.

"I scanned your satellites and radio telescopes."

"And?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Its voice rose, the terror clearly reflected in its sudden change of pitch. "Where shall I get my orders now?"

"You're just a soldier without commands." The Doctor said, slowly.

"Then I shall follow the primary order, the Dalek instinct to destroy! To conquer!"

The Priestess' eyes fell shut. There was no reasoning with a Dalek. They could not be changed.

"What for? What's the point?" The Doctor asked, exasperatedly. There was silence on the part of the Dalek. "Don't you see? It's all gone. Everything you were, everything you stood for."

"Then what should I do?" The Dalek asked.

The Doctor shook his head, stepping closer. "All right then. If you want orders..." He paused. "Follow this one: kill yourself." He demanded, his voice rough.

"The Daleks must survive!" The Dalek screamed.

"The Daleks have failed." The Doctor said, angrily. "Why don't you finish the job and make the Daleks extinct? Rid the Universe of your filth, why don't you just die?" He roared, spit flying from his mouth in his passionate hatred.

The Dalek was silent for a few seconds. "You would make a good Dalek." It intoned.

The screen went blank and the Doctor stared, dumbstruck.

The Priestess stood up, wearily, her hand clutching her burning stomach and took slow, careful steps towards the Doctor. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"No… you would not." She said, her voice low.

The Doctor turned his head, slightly, to look at her and kissed her on the forehead. "Seal the vaults." He ordered Goddard.

* * *

Van Statten and the Doctor were busy tapping into the computer.

"I can leech power off the ground defences, feed it to the bulkheads. It's been _years_ since I had to work this fast." Van Statten said, a strange, feral glint forming in his eyes.

The Doctor scowled at him. "Are you _enjoying_ this?" He asked, incredulously.

"Doctor, she's still down there." Goddard said, urgently.

* * *

Adam was running up a flight of stairs in a stairwell, while Rose was right behind him, answering a phone call from the Doctor.

"This isn't the best time." Rose said, panting heavily.

"Where are you?" The Doctor asked, sharply.

"Level 49."

"You've got to keep moving, the vault's being sealed off, bulkhead level 46." The Doctor said, his eyes intent on the computer screen as he tapped away.

"Can't you stop them closing?" Rose huffed.

"I'm the one who's closing them. I can't wait and I can't help you. Now for God's sake, run." The Doctor growled.

"Done it. We've got power to the bulkheads." Van Statten exclaimed.

"The Dalek's right behind them." Goddard said.

* * *

Rose and Adam rounded a corner on floor 46. "We're nearly there, give us two seconds." Rose shouted into the phone.

* * *

"Doctor, I can't sustain the power. The whole system is failing." Van Statten said. The Doctor stared at him with growing horror of what he would need to do. "Doctor, you've got to close the bulkheads."

The Doctor paused for a few moments, trying to summon the courage to do what needs to be done, which was observed by Van Statten and Goddard. The Priestess reached out, her hand covering his and slid closer to the keyboard.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor whispered. The Priestess' hand tightened around his and they hit the enter key, simultaneously.

The Doctor and the Priestess stared at the screen, waiting.

"The vault is sealed." Van Statten said, quietly.

The Doctor leapt out of his chair. "Rose, where are you? Rose, did you make it?" The Doctor shouted into the phone.

There was silence, until they could hear someone taking a few steadying breaths. "Sorry, I was a bit slow." Rose murmured, her voice breaking.

The Doctor's eyes widened as horrible shock spread across his face.

Rose glanced behind to see the Dalek trundling around the corner. She bit her lip and turned away. "See you then, Doctor." The Doctor was simply silent, agony and horror etched into his features. "It wasn't your fault. Remember that, okay? It wasn't your fault. And do you know what?" Rose murmured, her voice trembling from fear. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world." She choked out.

"Exterminate!" The Doctor heard the Dalek's battle cry and the sound of the exterminator gun and he tore the earpiece off, unable to hear anymore.

There was a stunned silence in Van Statten's office. The Priestess reached out and took the Doctor's hand in her own, the latter squeezing hers, gratefully.

"I killed her." The Doctor whispered.

"_The Dalek_ killed her." The Priestess said, strongly, as she rubbed his arm to offer him some modicum of comfort after what had just occurred. She didn't know who this 'Rose' was or what sort of relationship she had with the Doctor, but she knew the Doctor cared for her a great deal and she could feel the shards of pain and guilt slicing into him at that very moment, slicing into her as well.

"I'm sorry." Van Statten said, somewhat apologetically.

The Doctor turned to him, suddenly furious. "I said I'd protect her. She was only here because of me, and you're _sorry_? I could've killed that Dalek in its cell. But you _stopped_ me." He hissed.

"It was the prize of my collection!" Van Statten protested.

"Your collection?" The Doctor snarled, furiously. "But was it worth it? Worth all those men's deaths? Worth Rose?" There was silence from Van Statten. There was nothing he could say that would refute the Doctor's accusations. "Let me tell you something, Van Statten. Mankind goes into space to explore. To be part of something greater."

"Exactly!" Van Statten exclaimed, standing in his enthusiasm. "I wanted to touch the stars!"

"You just want to drag the stars down and stick them underground underneath tons of sand and dirt. And label them. You're about as far from the stars as you can get." The Doctor growled out, contemptuously, his voice full of hate. His face, suddenly, softened, a sorrowful, grief-stricken expression taking over. "And you took her down with you." He said, quietly.

The Priestess turned around and wrapped an arm around her waist, burying herself in his side as she rubbed his back.

"She was _nineteen_ years old." He said, looking down at her, earnestly. If anyone could understand what he meant by that, it would be her. If anyone could understand the feeling of loss and helplessness he was experiencing at the moment, he knew she, above anyone else, could.

The Priestess' eyes closed and her hand dragged across her face, a small, shuddering breath escaping her. _ So young… practically a child._

* * *

Rose had her eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable blast from the Dalek that would kill her stone dead. The Dalek approached her, but did nothing. It just stared at her as Rose opened her eyes, cautiously, and looked around.

"Go on then, kill me." Rose told the Dalek, slowly. There was silence. "Why are you doing this?" Rose asked, angrily.

"I am armed. I will kill. It is my purpose."

"They're all dead because of you!" Rose shouted.

"They are dead because of us."

Rose recoiled out of shock. "And now what? What're you waiting for?" She asked, quietly.

"I feel your fear."

"What do you expect?!"

"Daleks do not fear. Must not fear." The Dalek's voice rose as its uncertainty grew. It shot its exterminator gun wildly at the wall on either side of Rose. "You gave me life. What else have you given me? I am contaminated!" The Dalek shrieked, hysterically.

* * *

Adam stepped out of the lift into Van Statten's office. The Doctor broke away from the Priestess and rounded on him.

"You were quick on your feet, leaving Rose behind." He snarled.

"I'm not the one who sealed the vault!" Adam shouted, indignantly.

Suddenly, the screen behind them sprung to life. It showed Rose standing next to the Dalek.

"Open the bulkhead or Rose Tyler dies." The Dalek threatened.

The Doctor took a few steps towards the screen, joining the Priestess, an expression of joy and relief that he hadn't caused another person's death.

"You're alive!" The Doctor crowed, the relief brimming in his voice.

"Can't get rid of me." Rose half-laughed.

The Priestess cocked her head, staring at the screen, wondering who exactly this girl was.

"I thought you were dead." The Doctor said, earnestly.

"Open the bulkhead!" The Dalek screeched, interrupting their reunion.

"Don't do it!" Rose shouted and the Priestess smiled in approval.

"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?" The Dalek asked, slyly.

The Doctor was stunned by what the Dalek had just said. He didn't _love_ Rose. He knew that. He had been in love with the Priestess for so long that he didn't know what it was to be in love with anyone else. He _couldn't _love Rose. She was his friend, probably his best friend, but _only_ his friend. There was no way he could love her. What could a Dalek possibly know about love?

The Priestess' eyes shut of their own accord and she resisted the urge to look at the Doctor, scared of what she might see there. _Could he really be in love with a human? If he is, what am I to do?_ She cursed herself for thinking of such thoughts in a time like this. That girl would probably be killed by the Dalek if they didn't act quick. She'd consider Rose and her own relationship with the Doctor once the danger had passed and she was healed.

The Doctor stilled and his jaw set into a hard line, finally making a decision. He turned to Van Statten. "I killed her once." He went over to the computer. "I can't do it again." He said, pressing a button on the keyboard, forcing the bulkheads to rise so that Rose and the Dalek could pass through.

"What do we do now?" Van Statten asked, desperately. "You bleeding heart, what the hell do we do?"

The Doctor stared at him, wordlessly, still wondering if what he did was the best idea.

"Kill it when it gets here!" Adam suggested.

"All the guns are useless, and the alien weapons are in the vault." Goddard explained.

"Only the catalogued ones." Adam said, guiltily.

Van Statten turned to him, his eyebrows raised. Adam stared back at him, apologetically.

The Doctor nodded and moved to go along with Adam. He turned to face the Priestess. "Stay here. I want you safe."

"No," The Priestess said, shaking her head. "I am coming with you." She said, earnestly.

The Doctor let out a frustrated sigh. "You're still healing, 'Tess." The old nickname fell out of his mouth, like he had been saying it for ages. And he had. It had all started back in the Academy after they had chosen their titles, he had just loved shortening her name. "You're not strong enough."

"I am strong enough for a great deal of things." The Priestess said, sharply, making the Doctor look down at his feet in guilt. She softened her tone, knowing how much it hurt him to know that he wasn't able to protect her when she needed him to. "I _need_ to be there."

The Doctor pursed his lips, clearly unhappy about the decision the Priestess had taken, and his hand reached out. She gave him the largest smile she could manage and her hand slid across the table, taking his hand in her own.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess were in Adam's workshop, searching through a basket of Adam's uncatalogued weapons for something that might work on the Dalek.

The Doctor took something out. "Broken." He said, throwing it aside. He took out another. "Broken." And he threw it out of the way.

The Priestess peered at the next object the Doctor pulled out. "Now, that is a hairdryer."

"Mr Van Statten tends to dispose of his staff, and when he does he wipes their memory. I kept this stuff in case I needed to fight my way out one day." Adam said, proudly.

"What, you in a fight?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to see that." He scoffed.

"I could do." Adam protested, mildly offended by the Doctor's tone.

The Priestess clucked her tongue. "Do not be rude, Doctor. There are many things he is capable of." She said, her head cocking at the sight of him.

The Doctor looked at her, strangely, accustomed to vague comments. His Priestess kept everything close to her chest, not wanting to burden him with anything she might have seen unless he had something to do with it. And even then, she made sure to only tell him the relevant parts.

"What're you gonna do, throw your A-Levels at 'em?" The Doctor asked, mockingly. "Oh, yes. Lock and load." The Doctor crowed, finding a suitable weapon.

* * *

Rose and the Dalek were in the lift, going up to Van Statten's office. The atmosphere was clearly tense. Rose watched the Dalek's exterminator gun twitch slightly with trepidation.

"I'm begging you, don't kill them, you didn't kill me." Rose pleaded.

The Dalek spun its eyepiece around to look at Rose so fast that she had to duck out of the way lest she get hit in the head by it. She flinched from the contact.

"But why not? Why are you alive? My function is to kill. What am I? What am I?" It screeched.

The lift door opened and Van Statten was standing in the middle of the room, waiting, fearfully.

"Don't move!" Rhea warned. "Don't do anything, it's beginning to question itself."

The Dalek advanced on Van Statten. "Van Statten. You tortured me. Why?"

Van Statten started to back away from the Dalek, terrified. "I wanted to help you, I just, I don't know, I-I was just trying to help. I thought if we could get through to you, if we could mend you, I wanted you better, I'm sorry." He practically sobbed out. The Dalek still advanced on him, backing him up against the wall. "I'm so sorry! I swear! I just wanted you to talk!" Van Statten shouted, his voice rising shrilly.

"Then hear me talk now. Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Dalek chanted.

Van Statten winced and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable blast that would end his life.

"Exterminate!" The Dalek shouted once again.

"Don't do it! Don't kill him!" Rose shouted, rushing over to them. The Dalek spun to face her and Rose looked, directly, into the eyepiece. "You don't have to do this anymore." She said, soothingly. "There must be something else. Not just killing… what else is there? What d'you want?"

The Dalek turned back to Van Statten, then back to Rose. "I want freedom."

* * *

Rose and the Dalek were on the topmost floor of the base. The Dalek fired its exterminator gun at the ceiling, making a hole through the plaster through which sunlight flooded, shining on the Dalek.

"You're out. You made it." Rose smiled. "Never thought I'd see the sunlight again."

"How... does... it... feel?" The Dalek asked. Before an astonished Rose, the Dalek opened up its casing to reveal the mutated creature inside. It stretched its feelers out to the sunlight, the warmth ghosting over the tentacles. Rose simply stared at it until a voice behind made her jump.

"Get out of the way." The Doctor told Rose, darkly, a large gun pointed at the Dalek. Rose stared at him and, more so, the strange woman at his side with shock, but did not move. "Rose, get out of the way, now!" He ordered.

"No! 'Cos I won't let you do this!" Rose shouted.

"That thing killed hundreds of people." The Doctor argued.

"It's not the one pointing the gun at me." Rose said, coldly.

"I've got to do this. I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people." The Doctor snarled, glaring at the twisted creature inside the Dalek casing.

"Look at it." Rose pleaded. She stood aside and gestured to the Dalek which was still feeling the sunlight with awe.

The Doctor's gun lowered. "What's it doing?" He asked, confused.

"It's the sunlight, that's all it wants!" Rose explained.

"But it can't..." The Doctor stuttered, shaking. He turned to the Priestess, who was staring at the Dalek with badly-concealed shock.

"It couldn't kill Van Statten, it couldn't kill me, it's changing. What about you, Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?" Rose asked, shaking her head.

The Doctor finally lowered a gun, it falling slack at his side, looking completely lost. "I couldn't..." The Doctor trailed off.

The Priestess looked at him, something tearing at her hearts when she saw that he was close to tears. She knew how wounded he must have felt after the War ended, thinking that he was the only survivor, but seeing him like this made her want to console him in any way possible.

"I wasn't..." The Doctor continued, not being able to form the words necessary to convey his point. "Oh, Rose. I thought they were all dead." He said, mournfully. His words couldn't express the bone-crushing, mind-numbing relief and awe and adoration he had felt when he saw the Priestess in that room today.

"Why do we survive?" The Dalek asked, suddenly.

"I don't know." The Doctor said, darkly, thinking of others he had loved that had been lost in the War.

"I am the last of the Daleks." The Dalek said, weakly. "But you are not the last of the Time Lords."

The Priestess reached out and gripped the Doctor's hand.

Rose stared at the strange woman with shock, realising that she and the Doctor were of the same species, that the woman was a Time Lord.

"You're not even that." The Doctor said, shaking his head. "Rose did more than regenerate you. You absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

"Into what?" The Dalek asked.

"Something new. I'm sorry."

"You are sorry." The Dalek said and its gun raised and it fired the beam straight at the Doctor.

Time slowed for the Priestess as the beam hurtled towards the Doctor. She saw Rose recoil with a scream, pressing herself against the wall, and the Doctor still with shock. Her arm reached out and shoved him down to the floor just as the beam passed through empty space where the Doctor had just been. The Doctor, in turn, picked up the gun by his side and fired a shot at the exposed Dalek, killing it stone dead.

Rose stared at the singed remnants of the Dalek with horror and shock, realising that she had defended the Dalek this entire time, up til the point where she had questioned the Doctor. And the Dalek had still tried to kill him. She guessed that the killer had probably been that the Doctor was not the last Time Lord anymore. But she had defended it! It stung her in ways she couldn't even begin to process. If it weren't for that woman, the Doctor would have died.

The Priestess breathed, harshly, realising that she had been all the more close to losing him, to being the only one left of Gallifrey all over again. The Doctor stared at her with shock and awe, realising that the Priestess had just saved his life for the umpteenth time. He reached for her and pulled her into a hug, realising that today was the day that the War had ended. That everything had ended. And they were at the end.

"It is the end, is it not?" The Priestess murmured in his ear, practically snuggling into his embrace. _The Other, I have missed him. My Theta. _An ache began to grow in her chest.

"The end of the Time War." The Doctor hummed in her ear, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

Suddenly, she fell slack in his embrace, the Doctor clutching her, desperately, as her eyes shut. Rose rushed over to them, her worry for the strange woman overtaking her guilt.

"What's wrong with her?" Rose asked, shrilly.

"She's really hurt. Humans really put her through the ringer these last thirty years." The Doctor said, grimly, lifting the Priestess into his arms, noting the way she fit perfectly.

"She's been here for _thirty years_?" Rose gasped.

"Well, not specifically _here_, but yes." The Doctor nodded. "She has to put herself in a healing coma so that her injuries heal." The Doctor explained, as they walked down the stairwells to the exhibit room where the TARDIS was. "It'll take her awhile, but she should be good as new soon."

Finally, they reached the TARDIS, Rose and the Doctor, still holding the Priestess, standing by it. The Doctor stroked the front door, looking up at it, pensively. _Look at this, old girl, our girl's come back to us, hasn't she?_ The Doctor told the TARDIS and looked down at the Priestess, fondly. The TARDIS hummed in his head and he could feel her warmth stretching through his mind to the Priestess, forming a connection with her that had been there for centuries but never actually established. It felt so easy and so right for the TARDIS to sink into the Priestess' mind.

"Little piece of home. Better than nothing." The Doctor said, sadly.

"Is that the end of it? The Time War?" Rose asked, carefully.

"We're the only one left. We win. How about that?" The Doctor let out a harsh laugh, knowing that the Priestess would hate it just as much as he did.

"The Dalek survived... and she did too, maybe more of your people did as well." Rose tried to console him.

The Doctor shook his head, not wanting to think about that now. The Priestess was enough for him, for now.

"Well then, good thing I'm not going anywhere." Rose smiled at him.

The Doctor knew that wasn't enough, but he wasn't willing to tell her that and hurt her feelings, so he resolved to give her a small smile. "Yeah." He replied, his tone non-committal.

Adam jogged up to them. "We'd better get out. Van Statten's disappeared... they're closing down the base." The Doctor looked as unwelcoming as he possibly could with a comatose Time Lady in his arms. "Goddard says they're going to fill it full of cement! Like it never existed!"

"About time." Rose grumbled.

"I'll have to go back home." Adam said.

"Better hurry up then. Next flight to Heathrow leaves at 1500 hours." The Doctor told him, gruffly.

"Adam was saying that all his life he's wanted to see the stars..." Rose said, hinting at something in particular.

"Tell him to go and stand outside, then." The Doctor said.

"He's all on his own, Doctor. And he did help." Rose nudged.

"He left you down there!" The Doctor protested.

"So did you!" Rose countered.

"What're you talking about?" Adam asked, looking between the two. "We've got to leave!"

"Rose, he's a bit pretty." The Doctor said, narrowing his eyes at Adam. He wasn't jealous, at least, not in regard to Rose. He had no romantic feelings for Rose, but he still cared for her a great deal, he didn't want to see her get hurt. And it wasn't a fact that he would like to admit to himself, but he wasn't sure what the Priestess' preferences were in her new body, whether she would like his new body. He already knew he liked her new body and he was just a bit, not more, worried that she might prefer a pretty boy to him. He knew he wasn't the handsomest of men this time around.

"I hadn't noticed." Rose said, innocently.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, sceptically, resisting the urge to scoff, knowing that she had noticed and that she wasn't fooling anyone. He shrugged. "On your own head."

"What're you doing? She said 'cement'. She wasn't joking, we're going to get sealed in." Adam argued.

The Doctor shifted the Priestess in his arms, pulling the TARDIS key out of his jacket pocket and unlocked the door, walking inside and pressing the button for dematerialisation. He immediately disappeared inside the TARDIS, thanking the TARDIS when she pulled the Med-Bay right outside the ramp leading out of the console room.

Rose walked in, leaving Adam standing outside.

"Doctor?" Adam sounded genuinely concerned for their sanity. "What're you doing standing inside a box?" He paused. "Rose?"

He peered through the doors and stepped inside, just as the engines started and the time rotor began to rise and fall, as the TARDIS dematerialised.

* * *

The Doctor walked into the Med-Bay and the TARDIS shut and locked the door behind him, knowing that they wanted to be alone. He carried her over to the bed and placed her onto it, her head sinking into the soft pillow, her hands clasped over her stomach. Her eyes were closed and her breathed, slow and even, giving him a sign that she was alright. He smiled, fondly, down at her, reaching out and smoothing the hair away from her face.

It was hours later when the Priestess' eyes snapped open. In the meantime, he had managed to show Adam to a bedroom, reluctantly, one far away from his and Rose's bedroom, so the boy wouldn't get any ideas in the middle of the night, and managed to dodge Rose's questions about who the woman was and how she could be a member of his species.

The Priestess reached a hand out to him and he helped her sit up, as she cracked her neck and stretched out her arms. The Priestess ran her hands through her hear, removing the tangles, and blinked a few times, as she got used to her surroundings. She smiled, slowly, at the Doctor once she realised he was sitting right by her.

She reached out, her hands shaking, and stroked his jaw, desperately hoping that he was real and that everything today had actually happened and not just a hallucination brought about by the pain. She took a sharp intake of breath when she touched skin and not air, her eyes closing in relief. Her fingers moved up from his jaw line up his cheek and touched his well-defined cheekbone. The Doctor's hand rose and covered her hand, squeezing tightly, feeling the exact same way she did. He had spent the last few hours just sitting next to her, stroking her hair or playing with her fingers, just to make sure he was here, with him and safe.

"Okay now?" The Doctor asked her, softly.

She nodded, the tears coming to her eyes. "Alive. You are alive." She whispered. She slid off the bed and stood in front of the Doctor, clad in just a red blanket. Her hands reached for her again, clutching his head, her fingers stroking every inch of available skin.

"Hey, hey…" The Doctor said, soothingly, pulling her into his arms, her head resting on the scratchy wool of jumper. His fingers curled into the back of her hair, twisting into the curls. The Doctor hummed in her ears as the Priestess shook in his arms, overwhelmed by the events that had occurred today. In all of those years she had spent captive in various humans' collections, she had never imagined any of this would have happened.

She exhaled and broke away from him, her hand still clutched in his.

"How're the injuries, then?" The Doctor asked her, looking her over.

The Priestess looked down at herself. In all of her surprise and emotional outbursts, she had almost forgotten about her injuries from a lack of pain. The pain that had become such a constant part of her life had disappeared so quickly that she had almost missed it. She hurriedly removed her grip on the blanket and it fell, hitting the floor, leaving her naked to his gaze. Her hands smoothed down her stomach, feeling the raised skin of the scars that wouldn't disappear unless she regenerated. But at first glance, they all looked clean and healed as she poked around them. The bruises had healed and had almost faded, and her skin had lost the sickly pallor, almost returning to their golden hue.

The Doctor's eyes bugged out of their socket, his hands shaking at his sides, as he looked her up and down, appreciatively. "Wow… oh, wow…" The Doctor stuttered.

"What?" The Priestess looked up at him, questioningly.

"It's just… well… you're naked." The Doctor said, flushing a little.

The Priestess smiled, widely. "And is it to your liking?" She asked, teasingly, but still somewhat serious, needing to know an answer. She cocked her head.

"'Nikki, you're always beautiful, no matter what body you've got." The Doctor said, sincerely. He flushed even more as he looked upon her form longer, noticing the little quirks to her body that he was sure he'd have fun exploring in much more thorough detail. "But…" He trailed off. He knelt down and picked up the robe she had discarded. "If you don't wear this now, this reunion's going to go a different way than I expected it to go." He said, draping the red cloak over her and wrapping it around her.

The Priestess grinned at him, reaching out and hooking her arm in his. "Perhaps another time then." She sighed, mournfully, a giddy sort of feeling rising in her at the thought of being with him in that way.

"Are you planning to show me the rest of the TARDIS. She seems different, compared to the last time I was here." The Priestess said, wistfully, reaching out and stroking the walls of the TARDIS. She smiled, fondly, when the TARDIS hummed, affectionately, in response.

The Doctor slid a steady arm around her waist and led her out of the Med-Bay, showing her all of the rooms, grinning, affectionately, when he saw her gaze at the splendour in awe. He finally led her into the console, watching her as she gushed over the coral theme it had taken and as she stroked the struts and then the console with such careful, methodical fingers, that the TARDIS' time rotor began to rise and fall because of her ministrations.

"She is exceptionally beautiful, Theta." The Priestess breathed, a smile lighting up her face. She turned to him, beaming. "Her appearance is incredibly different to the last time I was here." Her face was flushed with awe and love.

She reached out with her mind, touching the TARDIS, and smiled when her mind was suddenly filled with gold. _Hello, dear heart._ She greeted the TARDIS, smiling when her mind thrummed.

_Hello, Dream Child_. The TARDIS crooned in her mind. _Are you well, now?_ She asked the Priestess, worriedly.

_I am fine, now. I hope my Theta has been taking good care of you._

_He has, I can tell he has missed you greatly, though. _The TARDIS warned in her mind.

The Doctor flinched, suddenly. Seeing her like this, so full of wonder, made him realise how different they were. Him, the lonely battle-scarred warrior. Her, broken but still beautiful beyond belief.

"I still can't believe you're here." The Doctor whispered, shaking his head. "I thought, I thought you _died_, Annika." He paused. "I never… I never even dreamt that you'd be alive somewhere." He cursed himself for not searching for her more intensely.

The Priestess' hand slid across the console, falling on top of his and squeezing. "My love, there is no reason for you to feel guilty." She said, soothingly.

The Doctor reached for her and pulled her into his arms again, burying her face in her shoulder, just revelling in the feeling of her mind against his. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. However, her words only assuaged a certain aspect of his guilt. There was one more thing he had to confide in her. He was never able to keep a secret from her.

But, how could she possibly want him after she knew? He looked up at her, his eyes full of anguish, relief, hurt, desire, guilt and love, hers full of love, adoration and admiration, coupled with a knowing look in her eyes. The Doctor fell slack against the console, his hands shaking against the edge. _She knows, oh, Omega, she knows. But…_

He suddenly felt a warm caress against his mind, stroking against that part of him that had been so alone, so empty, so hollow for so long that he resisted the urge to sink back into her. He swallowed hard and fell to his knees in front of her, his hand reaching for her, shaking, but fell down to his side.

"But, how?" The Doctor whispered, brokenly.

She smiled, her eyes swirling with something ancient and forgotten. "I created the Moment and put it in your hands, my love. Did you honestly believe I did not know _why_ I was creating it or handing it to you?"

Tears filled his eyes and he shut them, opening them with disbelief. "You knew, all this time, that I would have to burn Gallifrey." He clarified, his throat choking up. "Did you _see_ it?"

The Priestess smiled, sadly, at him. "I _see_ everything… remember?" She softened, her eyes filling with love and sorrow. "I am sorry. I knew if I told you the reason why I had to make the Moment, you would never have accepted it." Guilt grew in her eyes. "I am sorry I deceived you."

The Doctor shook his head. "Did you _see_ any of this?"

The Priestess closed her eyes in discomfort. "No, I never dreamt of anything after the War. I believe it is because we lost the Eye of Harmony or perhaps my conscience did not wish for me to know anything else after the War had ended." She looked at the time rotor, her fingers stroking the glass, reverently. "Maybe now, in the presence of a TARDIS, especially one like yours, I might be able to…" She trailed off.

"I'll be right here if you do." The Doctor promised, a fierce need to keep her safe no matter way rising in him. "I let you go last time and they got a hold of you. I _won't_ let that happen again." He paused. "You never did tell me which regeneration you're on." The Doctor said, looking her over. If she was anything close to his, he didn't know how he'd be able to live with himself.

The Priestess pursed her lips. "This is my third body."

The Doctor frowned. "When I last saw you… you were still on your first body. All red curls and freckled skin." He, affectionately, tugged on one of her dark locks.

The Priestess smiled, sadly. "I did regenerate once during the war, unfortunately." She shifted her gaze, unable to look him in the eye.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything else. He simply pulled her into another hug.

After a few moments, she broke away from him with a smile that reached her eyes, her mind shoving aside the painful memories that his words had provoked. He _was_ right, she had been caught when he wasn't there, but she didn't know how much he could have done to protect her. She had a feeling they would have just killed him to get to her in the end. She reached up and stroked his cheek, fondly. She pulled back, suddenly, thinking of something that had to be discussed before she made any further advance on him. He could just be acting affectionately because she was the last Time Lady left in existence.

"Theta…" She trailed off. "The Dalek said that you and Rose…" She couldn't bring herself to even finish the sentence. "I realise that has been years and you were under the impression that I was dead. If anything has happened between the two of you, I do not intend to interfere in any way." The Priestess said, hurriedly. However, a sharp pain began to grow in her chest and spread through her torso and limbs as she spoke the words. She could feel her throat closing up at the thought of not having him in her life.

"What, no, nothing like that happened!" The Doctor scoffed. "What does a Dalek know about love, 'Nikki`?" He looked at her, intently, realising how affected she was by the words she had just spoken. He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head up to look at him. "Hey," He began, softly. "S'always been you." He smiled down at her, his hands circling around her slim waist and pulling her closer. "_You_ are my Bondmate." He pressed her lips to her forehead. "No one else could ever take your place in my hearts nor could they replace you." He paused. "I'm still the boy that tripped over and fell at your feet and fell for you the first day at the Academy." He grinned at her, shyly.

She beamed up at him. "And I'm still the girl who took you to the Healers just in case you were seriously injured." She stroked a finger down his chest, her fingers curling in his jumper. "So…" The Priestess hesitated. "Do you still want me?" She bit her lip, feeling as though time was slowly with every moment he took to answer her question.

"Only if you want a daft old face like mine." The Doctor said, quietly.

She stood on her toes and pressed his lips against his, softly. "My love for you is not based on your body." The Priestess murmured. "It is, and will always be, based on that _perfect_ mind of yours. I adore you for you." She said, earnestly, her nails scraping across his dark, cropped head.

"I'm around fifteen years older than you, physically, by human standards." The Doctor protested.

"We are the same age, Theta." The Priestess said, rolling her eyes. "And since when do we consider human standards in our relationship?" The Doctor looked at her, sheepishly. "So, does that solve all of your problems?"

"Does that mean that you're mine?" The Doctor asked, his eyes smouldering as he looked her up and down. She was all dark waves and caramel skin and brown eyes and tiny, like a pixie.

"I never stopped."

"Mine."

"Yours." She whispered, her head tipping up off its own accord.

And then, he was moving, pressing his own against the beautiful shape of her mouth, his hands tightening around her waist and pulling her into him. He swallowed her needful whimpers and moans, the need to breathe irrelevant.

"I swear, I'm about to die if I don't get my hands on you." The Doctor growled against her mouth.

The Priestess giggled, madly, her breath hitching and falling off as a moan as he lifted her onto the console, his hands sliding up her legs under her cloak and spanning across the backs of her thighs.

When they parted, she swallowed hard, looking at his dark eyes, liquid with lust. She bit her lip, wanting nothing more than to give into him, and she would, just not now.

"I hope you know what you do to me." The Doctor groaned, pausing to kiss her long and hard once again.

The Priestess laughed again. "You look like you want to eat me." She said, playfully, her eyes twinkling.

"Don't tempt me." He growled, stamping the lust down, fiercely. He wasn't sure if she was ready for their relationship to return to that level yet. He would never push her into something she wasn't ready for. He had only ever been with her and would only ever be with her, anyway. They had no reason to rush. They had just found each other again, after all.

The Priestess, languorously, pulled him back into her arms, nestling her head against his bicep, and indulged in the double heartbeat she could hear through his leather jacket and woollen jumper, a sound she didn't ever think she'd hear again. She remembered how she used to spend hours, spooned with him in bed, simply lying on his chest, their legs entwined after a hazardous bout of lovemaking, just listening to the familiar thumping of his hearts.

This time, though, her hearts smiled at the same time she did.

* * *

A/N: And we have the end of _Dalek_ and our reunion. And some questions were answered in this chapter, like who the Priestess is to the Doctor and what the state of their relationship is. She is his Bondmate, which will be explained further in later chapters and she has a special gift. The TARDIS is very fond of the Priestess. I wonder why the TARDIS called her 'Dream Child' and what the Priestess meant by 'seeing' things. And I wonder who actually 'got' to the Priestess during the war. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

I haven't quite resolved the issue of Rose in this chapter. Rose will be quite jealous in this story, however, majority of that won't happen until Season 2, but sparks might fly in _Father's Day_.

Unfortunately, we didn't get any smut in this chapter, just a kiss. But I have an idea of which chapter in this story I will put the smut in. And we got an inside into how the Doctor and the Priestess met. It's quite a sweet story, isn't it? I do plan on going into more detail of their life on Gallifrey in the future, don't worry. This story will probably be chock full of flashbacks.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!


	4. The Long Game: Newsreel

Dream Weaver – Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Doctor Who. If I did, then Donna would have stayed an extra two seasons at least.

A/N: And we have _The Long Game_. It feels so odd to be writing episodes I haven't even written for TDOTAY yet. And we finally have the introduction between the Priestess and Rose. Hope you like the chapter!

Replies on Reviews:

NicoleR85: Thank you so much!

dramioneismyfuture: Aw, happy birthday! As for your predictions, we'll just have to wait and see ;)

I'm A Witch So Deal With It: I won't say anything to deny or affirm your predictions, but we'll see a little more in the next chapter. The Master and the Priestess have an interesting history between them, but no, they didn't meet in the war. I'm actually thinking about writing a series of oneshots about their time on Gallifrey. How they met, how they got together, when they got Bonded etc. But I'll wait a little while for it.

Guest: Thank you so much for telling me! I actually meant Rose instead of Rhea. I do that quite often, mistake Rhea for the Priestess and vice versa.

Sharpie-Marker1101: I agree. Rose has entirely too many proclivities towards destroying the world. She needs to control her anger. Maybe she should go to anger-management classes.

Pyra Sanada: Thank you so much!

Amelia: Actually, I've finished writing this story. Which is great for me. I update every week because when I get back to university, it'll be easier to deal with. Especially when I start writing the other Doctor Who stories I want to write.

AxidentlGoddess: Oh, thank you. I've been wanting to write a Time Lady like this for awhile. I'm just glad I got around to it. Rose and the Priestess will definitely have sparks in _Father's Day_. The Priestess isn't one to let Rose's stupid choices just go past.

Warnings: Nothing too much, sexual innuendo.

* * *

The Long Game: Newsreel

"So, you're a Time Lord?" Rose asked, slowly, looking between the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Time Lady," The Priestess corrected, gently. "And, yes." She nodded.

"So, what's your name?"

"The Priestess." She replied.

Rose blinked. "Seriously, like an actual religious priestess? Or like he's a 'doctor'?" She teased the brooding Time Lord.

The Priestess laughed. "There had not been a proper religion on our planet for millennia. The Doctor simply thought it would be an adequate title for me to choose on the day of my Naming Ceremony." She left out why the Doctor had thought it would be adequate, not wanting to tell Rose anything more than she had to.

Rose smiled at her and turned to the Doctor. "So, where are we going?" She asked.

The Doctor eyed Adam with displeasure and moved to the TARDIS console. "You'll see soon enough." He said, vaguely. He pulled down a lever and the entire TARDIS shook, sending the other three in completely different directions.

Rose would have slammed into the nearest wall if the Priestess had not grabbed her by the wrist at the last moment and pulled her back onto the railing. Rose grinned at her, thankfully, once the rattling stopped.

The Priestess sighed, brushing the flowery sundress she was wearing down her thighs, and straightened, joining the Doctor at the ramp.

The Doctor reached out and opened the doors, stepping out along with the Priestess, followed by Rose, into some sort of corridor on a space station.

"So, it's 200 000, it's a spaceship..."

"No, it is a space station." The Priestess corrected, looking around at the area.

"Right, a space station, and uh… go and try that gate over there. Off you go!" The Doctor winked at Rose, as he and the Priestess leaned against the TARDIS, waiting.

"200 000?" Rose clarified.

The Priestess nodded, smiling, softly. "200 000. You may want to use this opportunity to display the extent of your knowledge." She hedged, nodding at the TARDIS doors, pointedly.

Rose nodded to herself. "'Kay."

The Doctor grinned and raised his eyebrows.

Rose giggled as she opened the TARDIS door and called inside. "Adam? Out you come."

Adam stepped out with his mouth hanging open. "Oh, my god." He breathed, awestruck by what was before him.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Rose said, reassuringly.

"Where are we?" Adam asked.

Rose exchanged a look with the Doctor and the Priestess. "Good question. Let's see. So, um... judging by the architecture, I'd say we're around the year 200 000." Adam nodded and mumbled, his mind still boggling. "If you listen... engines." The Doctor and the Priestess watched her, resisting the urge to laugh. "We're on some sort of space station. Yeah." Rose nodded. "Definitely a space station. It's a bit warm in here, they could turn the heating down... Tell you what, let's try that gate. Come on!"

Rose opened the gate and the Doctor, the Priestess and Adam followed her into the room beyond the corridor.

They found themselves in a room overlooking the Earth.

"Here we go! And this is..." Rose paused as she looked down upon the Earth. Adam had to hold on to the railings for support as he made his way to her side. The Doctor and the Priestess stood a little way off away from the two humans. "...I'll let the Doctor describe it." Rose finished, a little awestruck herself.

"The fourth great and bountiful human empire. And there it is. Planet Earth at its height. Covered with mega-cities, five moons, population 96 billion." The Doctor began.

"The hub of a galactic domain, stretching across a million planets, a million species, with mankind right in the centre." The Priestess finished, peering down at the majesty of the Earth through the observation window.

Adam fainted with a girlish sigh and the Priestess looked down at him, worriedly, but neither the Doctor or Rose bothered to turn around.

"He's your boyfriend." The Doctor commented.

Rose sighed, mournfully. "Not anymore."

* * *

"Come on, Adam. Open your mind." The Doctor encouraged. One of his hands was in the Priestess', while the other was wrapped around Adam's shoulder. "You're gonna like this fantastic period of history. The human race at its most intelligent, culture, art, politics. This era has got fine food, good manners-"

The Doctor was hit in the side by a man shoving through.

"Out of the way!" The man said, rudely, before rushing off.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, who looked stunned. "I believe _that_ is the definition of irony." She said, dryly, making the Doctor glare at her.

Floor 139 suddenly sprung to life all around them. Food stalls were set up all around them and people bustled past the four to queue up, chatter moving around the place.

The Doctor looked bemused.

Rose examined the fast food behind the cases and turned to the Doctor. "Fine cuisine?" She smirked.

The Doctor spun around, completely wrong-footed. "My watch must be wrong." He looked down at it. "No, it's fine... weird." He muttered, looking all around him.

"That's what comes of showing off. Your history's not as good as you thought it was." Rose said, teasingly.

"My history's perfect." The Doctor said, defensively.

"Actually, for the first time, his history is correct," The Priestess narrowed her eyes at the Floor. "This is wrong."

"First time?" The Doctor cried out, mildly offended.

_Beloved, you are hardly able to talk, you are barely able to drive the TARDIS by yourself._ She reminded the Doctor.

_Just because you passed your test… and the only reason that happened was because the examiner was looking down your dress the whole time._ The Doctor grumbled. _So much for primitive biological reactions. _He grumbled to himself, jealously.

_I never spared him a second glance_. The Priestess thought, blithely.

"They're all human. What about the millions of planets? The millions of species? Where are they?" Adam asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Good question. Actually, that _is_ a good question." The Doctor seemed surprised by that. He jovially put an arm around Adam's shoulder. "Adam, me' old mate, you must be starving."

"No," Adam shook his head. "I'm just a bit time sick."

"Nah, you just need a bit of grub." The Doctor turned to the chef of one of the stalls. "Oi, mate, how much is a cronk burger?"

"Two credits twenty, sweetheart. Now, join the queue." The chef said, gruffly.

"Money. We need money." The Doctor moved over to what looked like an ATM, his sonic screwdriver ready. "Have to use a cash point." The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver to the cash point and what looked like to be some futuristic version of a credit card fell out of the slot, looking like a long metal strip with ridges in it. The Doctor handed it to Adam. "There you go, pocket money. Don 't spend it all on sweets." He said, mockingly, before grabbing the Priestess' hand and walking away.

"How does it work?" Adam asked, examining the metal strip, bemusedly.

The Doctor turned back, an exasperated look on his face. "Go and find out!" He exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Stop nagging me! The thing is, Adam, time travel's like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers." Rose laughed, but Adam just stared at him, brow furrowed. The Priestess raised an eyebrow and the Doctor suppressed a wince, knowing he was going to get it later. "... just a figure of speech." He said, hastily, to the Priestess. "Stop asking questions, go on, do it!" The Doctor said, shooing him away. Adam turned and walked into the crowd.

Rose made to follow him.

"Off you go then!" The Doctor teased Rose, a grin lighting up her face. "Your first date."

A smile formed on Rose's face. "You're going to get a smack, you are." She threatened, playfully. She looked at the Priestess. "Are you gonna go with him, then?" She didn't know what to think about her, if she was being honest. It was strange having another alien there on the TARDIS, especially one who seemed to know the Doctor so well. It was a little disconcerting and it did make her feel slightly resentful. The Doctor seemed so attentive towards her. Rose shook her head free of those thoughts. _She just spent like thirty years being tortured. He's probably just worried._

"'Course she is." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Where else would she be?" The Doctor wasn't about to let the Priestess out of his sight for longer than was necessary. He couldn't take the chance that she'd be taken from him again. Just to make sure, he'd have to keep a 24/7 watch on her, at all times. Not that he didn't mind doing it. He loved the Priestess with everything he had and he loved spending time with her. As far as he was concerned, she was his sun and his stars. His universe. His Bondmate. Even on Gallifrey, they'd just sit and talk for hours. She was the only one who could keep him still for a lengthy period of time, even when they were young and in the Academy.

The Doctor grinned at Rose's back as she turned to follow Adam in the crowd. He turned around and wrapped an arm around the Priestess' waist, pulling her into his side, his grin fading into a more thoughtful look.

"Come on, Dream Girl, let's go and investigate." He said, giving her a charming grin and pressing his lips to her forehead.

The Priestess smiled. "I have missed that." She said, softly.

"Missed what?" The Doctor frowned.

"You calling me 'Dream Girl'." The Priestess replied.

The Doctor's grin grew even more. "I always call you 'Dream Girl'." He teased, nudging her with his hip. "Remember the first time I called you 'Dream Girl'?" He whispered in her ear.

The Priestess laughed and smacked him on the arm. "Do not make me blush, beloved." She warned, playfully, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. The memory of that first time came to her mind, making her hands shake in anticipation and her blood heat up. They had been so young back then, having known each other only for a few months at the most when he had given her that nickname. She supposed she had fallen for him that minute itself.

He pressed another kiss to the side of her head and they walked on through the crowd. The Doctor reached out and halted a dark skinned woman, who was leading around a blonde-haired woman, who were walking past and chatting.

"Erm... this is gonna sound daft, but can you tell us where we are?" The Doctor asked, innocently.

The dark-skinned woman frowned and gazed at him like he was the village idiot. She gestured to a huge sign on the wall. "Floor 139... could they write it any bigger?" She asked, sarcastically.

The Priestess stepped forward. "Floor 139… of what, exactly?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Must've been a hell of a party." The dark-skinned woman muttered to her friend.

"Oh, you're on Satellite Five." The blonde-haired woman answered.

"What's Satellite Five?" The Doctor asked, frowning.

"Come on, how could you get on board without knowing where you are?" The dark-skinned woman scoffed, eyeing the Doctor with annoyance.

"Look at me, I'm stupid." The Doctor said, pleasantly.

"Hang on, wait a minute," The blonde woman paused. "Are you a test? Some sort of management test kind of thing?"

"You've got us." The Doctor shrugged, nonchalantly. "Well done. You're too clever for us." The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper and showed it to the two.

"We were warned about this in basic training. All workers have to be versed in company promotion." The blonde woman said, smiling brightly.

"Right. Fire away, ask your questions. If it gets me to Floor 500 I'll do anything." The dark-skinned woman gushed.

"Why?" The Priestess frowned at her. "What happens on Floor 500?" She asked, curiously.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "The walls are made of gold." She said, as if she were stating the obvious. "And you should know... Mr and Mrs. Management. So... this is what we do." She walked away and led them to the screens. The blonde woman smiled at them, nervously. "Latest news... sandstorms on the new Venus archipelago. Two hundred dead. Glasgow water riots into their third day... spacelane 37 closed by sunspot activity. And over on the Bad Wolf channel, the Face of Boe has just announced he's pregnant." She said, gesturing to every screen on the wall.

The Doctor and the Priestess started to smile. They exchanged a look. "We get it. You broadcast the news."

"We _are _the news." The dark-skinned woman corrected.

The blonde woman smiled at the Doctor and the Priestess, hopefully, again, and they smiled back.

"We're the journalists. We write it, package it and sell it. 600 channels all coming out of Satellite Five, broadcasting everywhere. Nothing happens in the whole human empire without it going though us." The dark-skinned woman finished.

* * *

"All staff are reminded that the canteen area now has self cleaning tables. Thank you!" A voice came over the loudspeaker.

Adam was sitting at a crowded table. Rose stood next to him, offering him a paper cup filled to the brim with some sort of strange liquid.

"Try this. It's called 'zaffic', it's nice. It's like a, um, slush puppy." Rose said.

"What flavour?" Adam asked, frowning at the cup.

"Um..." Rose took a long, slow sip through the straw. "Sort of, beef?" She tried.

"Oh, my god…" Adam half-laughed, completely overwhelmed by his surroundings. Rose laughed and Adam shook his head. "It's like everything's gone. Home, family, everything." He whispered.

Rose bit her lip, looking at him, concernedly. Thinking for a few moments, she took her phone out of her pocket. "This helps... the Doctor gave it a bit of a top-up. Who's back home, your mum and dad?"

"Yeah." Adam nodded.

"Phone 'em up." Rose suggested, offering him the phone.

"But that's one hundred and ninety- eight thousand years ago." Adam protested.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Honestly, try it. Go on!"

Adam took the phone, carefully. "Is there a code for planet Earth?" He asked, snidely.

Rose glared at him. "Just dial!"

Adam started to type the digits into the phone.

"I'm sorry we're not in." A feminine voice answered over the machine.

"It's on!" Adam's eyes went wide and his hands shook.

"Please leave a message. Thanks, bye!" The tone sounded.

"Hi. It's... it's me." Adam said, hesitantly. "I've sort of gone... travelling. I met these people... and we've gone travelling together. But, um... I'm fine... and I'll call you later. Love you. Bye." He hung up, suddenly gleeful. "That is just-"

Suddenly, an alarm sounded through the entire floor and everyone started to abandon the canteen area. Rose and Adam stood, not sure of what to do or where to go. The Doctor and the Priestess were revealed through the crowd, only a short distance away from them.

"Oi! Mutt and Jeff! Over here!" The Doctor called out and winced when the Priestess smacked him on the arm.

Rose, beaming at the Doctor, immediately rushed over to and joined them. Adam hesitated for a moment, holding Rose's phone in his hand. Then, seeming to make a decision, he place the phone inside his pocket, and joined the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose.

* * *

The four walked into a dreary, white room that was reminiscent of a hospital ward. There was a large, reclining chair in the middle of a raised octagonal platform in the middle of the room, around which the staff were sitting cross-legged. In front of them were pads on which they could place their hands. The Doctor, the Priestess, Adam and Rose stood, leaning against some railings, off the side of the room. The dark-skinned woman from the canteen area stood in the middle of the octagonal platform, starting to address the room.

"Now. Everybody behave. We have a management inspection." She looked over at the Doctor and the Priestess, who smiled, pleasantly, at her. "How do you want it? By the book?" She asked.

"Oh, right from scratch, thanks."

The woman turned away. The Priestess looked at the Doctor, who grinned at her, knowingly. He reached out a hand and stroked it down her arm, leaving goosebumps behind him and finishing at her hand, which he squeezed, tightly.

"Ok, so, ladies, gentlemen, multisex, undecided or robot, my name is Cathica Santini Kadainy. That's Cathica with a 'C', in case you want to write to Floor 500 praising me, and please... do..." The Doctor grinned, giving a non-committal jerk of his head, making the Priestess shake her head in dismay. "Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and be non-biased. That's company policy." The woman turned to smile at the Doctor and the Priestess, who nodded at her.

"Actually... it's the law." The blonde-haired woman corrected, turning to smile at the Doctor and the Priestess, shyly.

"Yes, thank you, Suki." Cathica said, irritated by Suki's interruption. "Okay, keep it calm... don't show off for the guests... here we go." She slid into the chair, lying down. "And... engage safety..."

The staff around the chair held their hands out over the pads in front of them. Each of the eight walls lit up as they did so. The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Adam looked around, expecting something to happen. Cathica snapped her fingers and small, circular door in the middle of her forehead parted, revealing the pink flesh of her brain. The Doctor and the Priestess turned away in mild disgust, while Rose stared in alarm. Adam leaned forward, slightly, over the railing to get a better look. The staff placed their hands down on the pads and closed their eyes.

"And 3... 2... and spike." Cathica finished, her eyes closing.

From the contraption hanging over the chair and over Cathica, light blue electricity started to stream down into the hole in her head and into her brain.

"Compressed information, streaming into her." The Priestess narrowed her eyes at the contraption on the ceiling.

The Doctor nodded. "Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain _is_ the computer."

"If it all goes through her, she must be a genius." Rose whispered.

"Nah. She wouldn't remember any." The Doctor said, shaking his head.

The Priestess bit her lower lip. "There is entirely too much information. Her mind would burn in an instant."

The Doctor and the Priestess began to walk around the room, circling the octagonal platform, while Rose followed, a little disgruntled that the Doctor was so intent on keeping the Priestess by his side.

"The brain's the processor. As soon as it closes, she forgets." The Doctor muttered to the Priestess.

"So, what about all these people round the edge?" Rose said, looking around.

"They have these chips installed into their brain, connecting them to her." The Priestess explained, kneeling beside one of them to get a closer look.

"And they transmit 600 channels. Every single fact in the empire beams out of this place." The Doctor finished.

The Doctor and the Priestess completed their circuit around the room and they leant against the railing again, next to Adam, who was still staring at the event in front of him with shock and alarm.

"Now, that's what I call power." The Doctor muttered to his Bondmate.

Rose frowned, concernedly, at Adam. "You alright?"

"I can see her brain." Adam stuttered.

Rose's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you want to get out?"

"No... no. This is technology, it's... it's amazing." Adam breathed.

"This technology is wrong." The Doctor and the Priestess said, simultaneously.

Rose and Adam stared at them.

"Trouble?" Rose asked, a smile about to break out.

The Doctor caught her eye. "Oh, yeah." He smiled at her.

Rose smiled in a satisfied sort of way. There was a slight shuddering sound and Suki twitched. She gasped and lifted her hands off the pad, as if she had received an electric shock, breaking the connection. The other members were forced to lift their own hands off too and the lights in the walls turned off. The compressed information stopped streaming into Cathica and the door in her head slid back closed. Suki rubbed her hands, breathing heavily.

"Come off it, Suki, I wasn't even halfway, what was that for?" Cathica hissed, annoyed that Suki had disturbed her chance to show off in front of the management.

"Sorry, must've been a glitch..." Suki said, weakly.

Cathica stood up.

Inside the room where Suki, Cathica, the Doctor, the Priestess, Adam and Rose, and the others were gathered, the loudspeaker sounded throughout the entire room and a projection sprung to life on the wall.

"Promotion." The loudspeaker said.

Cathica's eyes closed, obviously praying a little too hard. "This is it. Come on. God, make it me. Come on, say my name." She muttered, furiously, under breath.

The Doctor and the Priestess looked at her with mild concern, wondering what it could possibly be about Floor 500 that would make someone want a promotion that badly.

"Say my name, say my name..." Cathica's eyes were screwed shut as she pled and then they opened.

"Promotion for..." The loudspeaker began. "Suki Macrae Cantrell."

The words flashed on the projection and Suki's mouth dropped open. The Priestess looked over at Cathica, seeing that the woman looked as though someone had reached into her and pulled out all of her internal organs, leaving her hollow inside.

"Please proceed to Floor 500." The loudspeaker ordered.

Suki stood up and stared at the projection as if she could not believe what she was seeing. "I don't believe it... Floor 500..." She breathed, absolutely awestruck.

"How the hell did you manage that? I'm above you!" Cathica snarled, her ego slashed to pieces.

"I don't know," Suki shook her head in dismay. "I just applied on the off-chance... and they've said yes!" She exclaimed.

"That's so not fair, I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years!" Cathica shouted.

"What's Floor 500?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"The walls are made of gold." The Doctor and the Priestess murmured at the same time, making Rose recoil in confusion and surprise.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Cathica stood by the lift to say goodbye to Suki.

"Cathica, I'm gonna miss you! Floor 500..." Suki turned to the Doctor and the Priestess. "Thank you!"

The Priestess smiled at her as the Doctor shook his head with a grin. "We didn't do anything!" The Doctor protested.

"Well, you're my lucky charm!"

"All right! I'll hug anyone!" The Doctor said, cheerfully, wrapping his arms around the young woman, as she giggled in his embrace.

The Priestess watched, silently, and was pleasantly surprised when the eager girl wrapped her arms around her as well. She hesitantly slid her arms around the girl and hugged back, not used to the physical contact after so many years. She patted Suki on the back, awkwardly, before letting go and giving her an encouraging smile.

The Doctor frowned at the tension in the Priestess' limbs as well as the hesitancy that she had displayed when Suki hugged her. He reached out and tugged her into his side, entrapping her hand in his much larger ones, stroking down the soft skin, hoping to offer her some comfort.

Cathica looked stubbornly away at nothing in particular, hell bent on not looking at Suki lest her jealousy show. Rose narrowed her eyes at the joined hands of the Doctor and the Priestess, but shrugged it off as some alien custom. Maybe they didn't have the same meanings behind physical contact as humans did, holding hands could be just something friends did, the Doctor and her held hands sometimes too. Rose turned away, spotting Adam, who was sitting only a short distance away.

"Come on, it's not that bad..." Rose offered.

"What, with the... the head thing?" Adam waved at Cathica.

"Yeah, well she's closed it now!"

"Yeah but... it's everything. It freaks me out. And I just need to... if I could just..." Adam struggled to find the words to express himself accurately. "...cool down. Sort of, acclimatize."

"How d'you mean?" Rose's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Maybe... I could just go and sit on the observation deck? Would that be all right?" Rose nodded, hesitantly. "Soak it in, you know, pretend I'm a citizen of the year 200 000."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Rose asked, concernedly.

"No, no," Adam shook his head. "You stick with the Doctor." Rose nodded. Adam paused. "You'd rather be with him." There was another awkward pause as Rose realised that it was true. "It's gonna take a better man than me to get between you two. Anyway, I'll be on the deck." He said, lightly, getting to his feet.

Rose fumbled inside her pocket. "Here you go... take the TARDIS key. You know, just in case it gets a bit too much."

"Yeah, like it's not weird in there." Adam said, sarcastically.

Rose handed the key over and Adam walked away, leaving her alone. Adam grinned to himself, gleefully, holding the key, rejoicing under his breath.

"Oh, my God, I've got to go, I can't keep them waiting…" Suki picked up her bag and rushed to the lift. "I'm sorry!" The lift pinged open and she stepped inside. "Say goodbye to Steve for me." The Doctor and the Priestess smiled as the lift doors closed. "Bye!"

The Doctor and the Priestess waved at her, the former cheerfully, the latter a little slow and wary. Cathica looked away, sourly.

"Good riddance." She muttered.

The Doctor frowned at her. "You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs."

"We won't." Cathica said, shaking her head. "Once you go to Floor 500 you never come back."

The Doctor and the Priestess stared at the closed lift doors, brow furrowed.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose followed Cathica through the canteen area.

"Have _you_ ever been there?" The Priestess asked, carefully.

"No. You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to 500 except for the chosen few." Cathica explained.

* * *

Adam entered the observation deck. He looked out over the Earth for a few seconds, then turned to a computer behind him. He placed his hand on the hand pad.

"Give me access..." Adam murmured and the computer screen sprung to life, lighting up. Adam snatched his hand away and paused. "I can learn anything." He muttered, the greedy gleam lighting his eyes up.

He looked around, making sure that no one was looking at him or what he was doing and then he turned back to the screen. He placed his hand back on the groove.

"Let's try..." He racked his brain for the right term. "Uh, computers. From the 21st Century to the present date, give me the history of the Microprocessor." The computer started to stream the information into Adam, a long line of blue code running down the screen. He looked amazed. "Oh my God." He breathed.

* * *

Cathica entered the Spike Room, followed by the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose.

"Look, they only give us twenty minutes maintenance, can't you give it a rest?" Cathica said, irritated.

"But you've never been to another floor?" The Doctor asked, frowning.

"And the floor below this one?" The Priestess asked.

The Doctor settled himself comfortably in the chair on the platform, the Priestess leaning against it from behind, her arm stretched across his shoulders, giving him a comforting warmth that he revelled in. Rose stood off to the side, watching their interaction, intently.

Cathica shook her head. "I went to floor 16 when I first arrived, that's medical, that's when I got my head done, and then I-I came straight here. Satellite Five, you work, eat and sleep on the same floor. That's it, that's all." She narrowed her eyes at the two aliens. "You're not management, are you."

"At last!" The Doctor crowed and looked up at the Priestess, who smiled at him, fondly, with a large grin that stretched across his face. "She's clever!"

Cathica paused. "Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything." She warned them.

"Don't you even ask?" The Doctor said, incredulously.

"Well, why _would_ I?" Cathica asked, confused.

"You _are_ a journalist." The Priestess said, slowly. _Perhaps she had forgotten that._

"Why's all the crew human?" The Doctor asked, suddenly.

Cathica frowned. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"There are no aliens aboard this spaceship." The Priestess murmured.

"Why?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know," Cathica shook her head. "No real reason, they're not banned or anything."

The Doctor looked around the room, pointedly, before raising an eyebrow at Cathica. "Then where are they?" He asked, slyly, the obvious innuendo in his question.

Cathica looked surprised and baffled by the question. "I suppose immigration's tightened up. It's had to, what, with all the threats."

"What threats?" The Priestess asked, quietly.

"I don't know... all of them. Usual stuff. And the price of space warp doubled so that kept the visitors away..." The Doctor and the Priestess watched her intently. "Oh, and the government on Traffic Five's collapsed, so that lot stopped coming, you see... just... lots of little reasons, that's all." Cathica shrugged.

"Adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice." The Doctor said, shaking his head at Cathica's obliviousness and her ability to turn a blind eye to everything that had been going on around her.

"Doctor, Priestess, I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything." Cathica said, slowly, to the strange couple.

"I can see better. This society's the wrong shape. Even the technology." The Doctor commented, looking at the Priestess, who nodded.

"It's incredibly anachronistic, this space station." The Priestess remarked, looking around at the room.

"It's cutting edge!" Cathica protested.

"It's backward! There's a great big door in your head!" The Doctor said, incredulously.

"That is practically medieval in regard to the year 200000." The Priestess added.

"So, what do you think is going on?" Rose piped up, walking over to them, a little lost by what was going on in front of her. She stared, intently, at the way the two acted around each other. Maybe they had known each other on their home planet. She'd ask them back when they were in the TARDIS.

"It's not just this space station," The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "It's the whole attitude. It's the way people think. The great and bountiful human empire's stunted. Something's holding it back." He told the Priestess, whose nails scraped across the short, cropped hair on the Doctor's head, and he nuzzled into her touch.

"And how would _you_ know?" Cathica glared at them.

"Trust me. Humanity's been set back about 90 years." The Doctor said, meaningfully.

"When did Satellite Five start broadcasting?" The Priestess asked, suddenly, her voice low and her tongue running over her teeth.

Cathica's eyes widened. "91 years ago…" She trailed off.

The Doctor and the Priestess nodded and Cathica looked away, frustrated and thoughtful.

* * *

Adam stood in front of the computer terminal on Rose's mobile. "Mum, Dad, _keep_ this message, okay?" He ordered. "Whatever you do, _don't_ erase it. Save it. You got that?"

He placed his hand on the pad again. He spoke into the mobile as the information started to stream right through him.

"The microprocessor became redundant in the year 2019, when it was replaced by a system called SMT, that's Single Molecule Transcription-" Suddenly, the information stopped coming and the words 'Floor 16' appeared on the screen.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! What're you doing! Come back! Come-" Adam shouted and kicked the base of the computer. He looked behind him to see that no one had heard his outburst of anger, then back at the computer. "Why are you doing that?" He asked, curiously. The words remained stubbornly on the screen. "What's Floor 16? What's down there?" Adam asked, narrowing his eyes at the computer.

* * *

A/N: Thought that might be a good place to end the first chapter. These chapters might be a little shorter than the ones in TDOTAY, just a warning. I don't think Rose is quite jealous of the Priestess because she has romantic feelings for the Doctor. I think she just feels a bit insecure that the Doctor won't want her to travel with him anymore because he's got the Priestess. I think the Priestess and Rose will get close in Season 1. But that might change after the Doctor regenerates ;)

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to leave a review.


	5. The Long Game: Broadcast

Dream Weaver – Chapter 5

A/N: Here's the final chapter of The Long Game. Hope you all like it!

Replies to Reviews:

NicoleR85: Thank you so much. I'm not going to spill anything about the ending for this story, because I want everyone to be surprised when they see it. It'll be fun, I promise. A lot of drama.

Ash: I'm pretty sure there's a lot of crackfic about that.

dramioneismyfuture: I hope you had a great birthday :) See, that issue will be resolved in this chapter. The Priestess does everything for a reason.

Skye Boat: Thank you so much! Wait, those actually exist? How does a weasel have a kid with a pseudo-whale?

Warnings: None for this chapter, I don't think, just some flirting and some slight innuendo.

_Italics_ – Thoughts/The Doctor and the Priestess' mind bond.

* * *

The Long Game: Broadcast

"_No, no, no, no, no, no! What're you doing! Come back! Come-" Adam shouted and kicked the base of the computer. He looked behind him to see that no one had heard his outburst of anger, then back at the computer. "Why are you doing that?" He asked, curiously. The words remained stubbornly on the screen. "What's Floor 16? What's down there?" Adam asked, narrowing his eyes at the computer._

The lift doors opened on Floor 16 and Adam stepped out, warily, wondering what he was going to find on _this _floor. The floor was lined with desks, with people sitting behind them, talking to various members of staff. Adam walked past all of them, until he reached the last one, where a nurse was sitting, unoccupied. He approached her, hesitantly.

"Sorry, um," He stuttered. "Floor 16, that's, um... what do you cover?" He asked.

"Medical non-emergency." The nurse said in a bored voice.

"Right, wrong floor, I'm having technical difficulties, my screen keeps freezing, blocking me out." Adam explained.

"No," The nurse shook her head. "That's medical... there must be something wrong with your chip."

"Yes. Yeah, of course, yeah." Adam laughed. He paused. "I haven't got one."

The nurse rolled her eyes in dismay. "No wonder you can't get a screen to work." Adam nodded. "What are you, a... student?" She tried.

"Yes, yeah, I'm um..." Adam desperately tried to think, quickly, of something to say. He sat down opposite her. "I'm on a research project from... the University of Mars."

The nurse rolled her eyes again. "The Martian Boondocks. Typical." She scoffed.

"Yep." Adam giggled, apologetically.

"Well, you still need chipping."

"So... does that mean like... brain surgery?" Adam asked, warily.

The nurse raised an eyebrow. "That's an old fashioned phrase... but it's the same thing, yes." She nodded.

"Oh... okay... never mind. But if I get a chip... that means I could use _any_ computer." Adam said, more to himself than to the nurse.

"Absolutely. You'll..." She paused. "Have to pay for it. They've stopped subsidising."

"Oh!" Adam's eyes widened and his face fell. "Right. Sorry. Wasting your time. Thanks." Adam got up and made to leave. A few paces away, he stopped and put his hand in his pocket. "Hold on... can I use this?" He asked, holding up the credits the Doctor had given him earlier.

The nurse smiled, benevolently. "That'll do nicely." She murmured.

* * *

Adam was seated in what looked like a futuristic version of a dentist's chair in some sort of operating theatre. The nurse approached him.

"It all comes down to two basic types." She pushed him back in the chair and attached a strange contraption around her head. "Type one, the head chip. Inserted into the back of the skull - one hundred credits. There's the chip..." She placed the chip on her forefinger and showed it to him. "Tiny. Invisible. Type two is the full info-spike."

"Oh, um…" Adam hesitated. "That's the..." He pointed to the middle of his forehead and mimed sound effects to illustrate his point. "…thing." He finished, lamely.

"That's the one." The nurse nodded. "It does cost ten thousand."

"Oh, well I um... I couldn't afford it, then."

"Not at all!" The nurse said, cheerfully. "Turns out, you've got unlimited credit." She took out the credit from her pocket and showed it to him.

"No, but... I couldn't have it done, I mean... that's gotta hurt, hasn't it?" Adam half-laughed.

"Painless." The nurse shrugged. "Contractual guarantee."

Adam laughed, nervously. "No, my mate's waiting upstairs, I can't have major surgery."

"It takes ten minutes." The nurse said, slowly. "That sort of money buys a very fast picosurgeon." She started to circle his chair in a predatory manner.

Adam was still smiling, but still feeling unsure about the whole idea. "No, but I... I couldn't, no, no. It's..."

The nurse leaned closer to him, determined to make him agree to the surgery. "Type one, you can interface with a simple computer. Type two, you are the computer. You can transmit any piece of information from the archive of Satellite Five, which is just about the entire history of the human race. Now..." She leaned in even more. "Which one's it going to be?"

* * *

Cathica looked extremely anxious. "We're _so_ gonna get in trouble." She moaned.

The Doctor was scanning the side of a door with his sonic screwdriver, the Priestess beside him and Rose standing behind them. Cathica went over to them.

"You're not allowed to touch the mainframe, you're gonna get told off." Cathica said, urgently, her eyes shifting around the room.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Rose, tell her to button it."

Cathica's voice was an urgent whisper. "You can't just vandalise the place, someone's gonna notice!"

"Help me out with this, would you?" The Doctor looked at the Priestess and the two of them managed to wrench the door open together.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess were still messing around with the mainframe.

"This is nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work." Cathica huffed and started to walk away.

"Go on then! See ya!" The Doctor called out, cheerfully.

Cathica stopped in her tracks. She grit her teeth and turned back to them. "I can't just leave you, can I!"

"If you wanna be useful, get 'em to turn the heating down." Rose said, rolling her eyes. "It's boiling. What's wrong with this place, can't they do something about it?"

"I don't know," Cathica shook her head. "We keep asking, something to do with the turbine."

"'Something to do with the turbine'." The Doctor mimicked, mockingly.

"You are being rude." The Priestess hummed, shifting closer to the mainframe, her fingers playing with a few wires.

"Well, what do you expect?" The Doctor scoffed. "And she calls herself a journalist." He shook his head in dismay.

"Well, I don't know!" Cathica threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

"Exactly!" The Doctor growled. He shook his head. "Exactly! I give up on you, Cathica. Now, Rose, look at Rose." Rose turned around and smiled, beatifically, at the Doctor. "Rose is asking the right kind of questions."

"Oh, thank you." Rose grinned.

"Why is it so hot?" The Doctor mused.

"One minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central heating!" Cathica snarled in confusion.

"Well, never underestimate plumbing." The Doctor commented.

"Yes, plumbing can be very important." The Priestess muttered, smirking when she saw the Doctor accidentally snap off a few wires. "Silly man, move aside and let me work." She said, shoving him, lightly, with her shoulder.

He grinned and, humbly, moved and threw her the sonic screwdriver, which she caught it one hand, so that she could work on the wires, twisting a few, snapping off the end of a couple and flicking a switch on the end.

_I love it when you take charge like this_. The Doctor teased her.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _You just wait and see, my love_.

Cathica turned away, exasperated, while Rose watched the Priestess work and the look in the Doctor's eye with confusion.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess, together, had now successfully managed to hack into Satellite Five's mainframe. He turned the screen in order to show Cathica.

"Here we go, Satellite Five. Pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout." The Doctor demanded, moving so that he was standing behind her so that she could see the screen.

Cathica examined the screen, carefully. "This is ridiculous. You've got access to the computer's core. You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange... and you're looking at pipes?" She turned to him, utterly bemused.

"There is something wrong." The Priestess said, quietly.

Cathica frowned and turned back to the screen. "I suppose." She said, grudgingly.

"Why, what is it?" Rose asked, looking between the Doctor and the Priestess.

"The ventilation system. Cooling ducts, ice filters, all working at top speed... channelling enormous amounts of heat _down_." The Priestess explained, looking at the ceiling.

"All the way from the top." The Doctor finished.

"From Floor 500." The Priestess added, the two aliens exchanging a meaningful look. She smiled at the Doctor. "You have not changed the slightest, have you?" She asked, a smile playing on her lips.

"Disappointed?" He asked, grinning at her, knowingly.

_I never am_. She told him and his grin turned less manic and more endearing.

"Something up there is generating tonnes and tonnes of heat." The Doctor said, the smile appearing on the Priestess' face blinding him, momentarily.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm missing out on a party. It's all going on upstairs. Fancy a trip?" Rose grinned at the Doctor and the Priestess.

"You can't," Cathica shook her head. "You need a key."

"Keys are just codes, and I've got the codes right here." The Doctor gestured at the screen, reaching out and tapping a few keys. "Here we go, override 215.9."

Cathica looked confused. "How come it's giving you the code?"

The Doctor looked up at the security camera. "Someone up there likes us."

* * *

Adam ran his hand over his forehead, feeling the smooth skin without any blemish or any sign that the chip had been inserted and that his forehead would slide open. The nurse was standing next to him, proudly.

"I told you it was painless. No scarring, you see? Perfect success." The nurse said, cheerfully, pride touching her voice.

"How do I activate it?" He asked her.

"It's a personal choice. Some people whistle... I know one man who triggers it with 'Oh, Danny Boy'." Adam looked at her, strangely. "But you're set on default for now. That's a click of the fingers."

"So you mean, I just…" He trailed off, gesturing to his forehead.

The nurse raised her fingers into a snapping position. "Click."

* * *

The lift doors opened on Floor 139, and Rose, the Priestess and the Doctor stepped into the lift. Cathica stopped outside, warily.

"Come on, come with us!" Rose encouraged.

"No way!" Cathica shook her head.

"Bye!" The Doctor waved, cheerfully, just a tinge disappointed.

"Well, don't mention my name. When you get in trouble, just don't involve me!" Cathica warned the three before stalking off, angrily.

"That's her gone. Adam's given up. Looks like it's just you and me." The Doctor said to the Priestess, grinning down, fondly, at her.

"Yes."

"Good." The Doctor smirked.

"Yes." The Priestess smiled up at him, slightly shy.

The Doctor's hand reached for hers and they entwined, his fingers stroking hers, reverently, as their hands swung in between them. _Just like old times. _He thought to himself, fondly, knowing that the Priestess would be able to hear him.

"Oi!" Rose huffed. "Don't forget about me!"

"Oh," The Doctor blinked. He had forgotten about her, if he were being honest. "Right. Sorry about that, Rose." He said, sheepishly.

The Doctor slotted a card into the controls, holding onto the Priestess' hands as the doors closed.

* * *

Adam clicked his fingers. The door in his head slid open, revealing the pink flesh of his brain. He ran his finger along the shutters, his mouth open, for a few seconds, then snapped his fingers again to close it, shaking, unable to bear the sight for much longer. He flopped back in his seat, sweating, profusely.

"Oh, my God. I'm gonna be sick." Adam wretched and a vomit-coloured ice cube fell out of his mouth instead. Adam grasped it between his fingers, looking at it with confusion and horror.

"Special offer." The nurse explained. "We installed the vomit-o-matic at the same time. Nano-termites have been placed in the lining of your throat. In the event of sickness..." She held out a bowl. "They freeze the waste."

Adam placed the ice-cube into the bowl and the two peered at it, Adam looking severely shaken.

* * *

The lift reached Floor 500. The doors slid open and the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose stepped out into the corridor.

The Priestess looked around, frowning. _Something is definitely wrong here._ "The walls are not made of gold." She remarked in her lilting voice.

The Doctor nodded, his grip on the Priestess' hand tightening ever so much. He looked at Rose. "You should go back downstairs." He warned.

"Tough." Rose snorted, entirely too excited by what was going to happen to even consider leaving the two aliens. She strode forward onto Floor 500.

The Priestess shook her head. "I am still deciding whether she is incredibly brave or incredibly _stupid_." She told the Doctor.

The Doctor shrugged. "Haven't decided that one meself."

They watched Rose for a moment before following her. They walked up a ramp and found themselves in a control room, the walls lined with ice, while frozen people worked the computers. A short, sharp-suited man with white hair stood in the middle of the empty space, obviously waiting for them.

"I started without you. This is fascinating. Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements, but _you_ three... you don't exist!" The man crowed.

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose looked right back at him, their expressions not wavering the slightest. The man laughed.

"Not a trace!" He continued. "No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss. How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?"

Rose spotted Suki sitting at one of the screens on the side and rushed over to her, immediately concerned.

"Suki! Suki!" Rose called out, kneeling beside her, but Suki gave no response. "Hello? Can you hear me? Suki?" She turned to the man. "What've you done to her?" She spat.

"She is dead." The Priestess murmured, her eyes running over the room, calculating that a human would never be able to survive in these temperatures for an extended period of time.

"She's working..." Rose protested, worriedly, looking at the active computers all around her.

The Doctor shook his head. "They've all got chips in their head, and the chips keep going. Like puppets."

"Oh! You two are full of information! But it's only fair we get information back, because apparently, you're no-one." The man laughed again. The Doctor and the Priestess nodded, the latter tensing, minutely. "It's so rare not to know something. Who are you?"

The Doctor grit his teeth and looked at the Priestess, his instinct to keep her safe warring and winning against every other possible feeling that was coursing through his body. There was no way he could make a decision to stay when there was a threat against her. They had to leave now. "It doesn't matter," The Doctor said, tightly. "'Cause we're off. Nice to meet you." He turned to Rose, who hadn't moved away from Suki. "Come on." He snapped.

He turned to leave when four Drones restrained him and the Priestess. He tried all the more to struggle when he saw their hands tighten around the Priestess, who struggled, madly, in their grip. Rose tried to get up to help them, but Suki's dead hand grabbed her arm before she could make a move.

"Tell me who you are!" The man insisted, persistently.

"Since that information's keeping us alive, I'm hardly gonna say, am I?" The Doctor growled out, his eyes flicking to the Priestess every chance he took.

The man smiled. "Well, perhaps my Editor in Chief can convince you otherwise."

"And who is that?" The Priestess asked, her voice light as to not betray her current fear and worry. She wasn't a huge fan of restraints, at least not ones that she hadn't agreed to prior. Nowadays, it reminded her too much of being bought and sold by various collectors for the past few decades, then being trapped by Van Statten in Utah on that gurney, waiting to be tortured every day, and before that, there were the centuries she had spent trapped in Davros' ship. She shuddered and her eyes closed, briefly, as she was forced into her memories, before she forcibly shoved them away. She glared at the still smiling man.

"It may interest you to know that this is _not_ the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire." The man corrected. "In fact, it's not actually human at all." He chuckled. "It's merely a place where humans happen to live." Suddenly, they could hear roars and hisses coming from above them, but the two Gallifreyans didn't dare take their eyes off this man. "Yeah, sorry." The man apologised to whatever made those noises. "It's a place where humans are _allowed_ to live by kind permission of my client." He amended.

The man snapped his fingers and pointed upwards at the creature stuck to the ceiling. Their eyes widened as the creature was revealed to be a huge, slobbering, slug-like lump of an alien with a mouth full of sharp, snapping teeth.

"What _is_ that?" Rose asked, nervously and fearfully.

"You mean, that thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" The Doctor asked, incredulously.

"That 'thing', as you put it, is in charge of the human race." The man corrected.

The Doctor's and the Priestess' faces paled and they stared at the man with alarm.

"For almost a hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided, his knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by its broadcast news. Edited by my superior, your master, and humanity's guiding light, the mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe."

The Jagrafess roared.

"I call him Max." The man shrugged.

The Doctor smiled, sarcastically, at the man, while the Priestess glared at him, fiercely, and nodded.

* * *

Adam had arrived back on Floor 139. He swiftly stepped aside when he saw Cathica coming, recognising her as the woman who also had the chip in her forehead. However, Cathica didn't notice his approach, looking troubled by what the Doctor and the Priestess had revealed to be true about what she considered her life and what she had blindly accepted. She went back to the computer which the Priestess had hacked into to find the codes for Floor 500. She then entered the code into the lift, a sharp bout of courage coursing through her. The doors closed.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose had all been restrained with manacles around their hands.

"If we create a climate of fear... then it's easy to keep the borders closed. It's just a matter of emphasis. The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilize an economy... invent an enemy... change a vote..." The man continued.

"So, all the people on Earth are like, slaves." Rose guessed.

"Well, now. There's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?" The man asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"Yes." The Doctor and the Priestess said at the same time, both of them glaring at the man.

"Oh." The man pouted. "I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? 'Yes'?"

"Yes." The Doctor and the Priestess intoned again.

The man laughed. "You two are no fun." He chided.

A smirk spread across the Doctor's face. "Let me out of these manacles, you'll find out how much fun I am." He snapped, threateningly, struggling in the restraints. He looked over to see the Priestess seemingly calm in her shackles, but he knew her better than that. He could see practically see her remembering what she had gone through the last couple of centuries and he didn't need their connection to do so. They could always read each other like a book. He didn't want her to have to retreat back into all of those painful remembrances. He wanted her to stay in the present, with him, and to know that there wasn't anything he wasn't willing to do to keep her safe from harm.

"Oh, he's tough, isn't he. But, come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit." The man tried.

"It would be difficult for you to hide something on this scale for a long time." The Priestess narrowed her eyes at him. "Someone must have noticed by now."

"From time to time, someone, yes." The man shrugged. "But the computer system allows me to see inside their brain... I can see the smallest doubt… and crush it." The man grinned, psychotically.

* * *

Cathica stepped out onto the lift on Floor 500 and strode onto the floor.

* * *

Adam stepped, cautiously, into the Spike Room, warily looking for someone who might stop him from what he was about to do, and shut the door behind him, breathing a sigh of relief that he had managed to get this far.

* * *

And then they just carry on, living their life. Strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're _so_ individual." The man continued, arrogantly.

The Doctor chanced a look at the Priestess, only to frown when he saw her attention fixed, not on the man holding them captive, but some space off to the side of the room. His eyes followed hers and they widened when he spotted Cathica out of the corner of his eye. She had managed to make it to the room, but kept herself hidden, not willing to reveal herself just yet.

"When of course, they're not. They're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing." The man finished.

"What about you? You're not a Jagra... uh... a..." Rose struggled to remember what the man had called the creature stuck to the ceiling.

"Jagrafess." The Priestess corrected, lightly. She could see why the Doctor liked this human. She was brave and she asked all of the right questions and the Priestess knew that was what the Doctor valued in his past companions. She had seen it in the some of the companions that the Doctor had managed to sneak onto Gallifrey before the war. Susan, of course, her darling one, eldest of all of her grandchildren, Jamie, Zoe, Jo, the Brigadier, Sarah, Nyssa, Tegan. She had seen their special place in her Bondmate's hearts and she had loved them, equally. But she could see that Rose was different. It may not have been obvious to Rose or to the Doctor, but she knew where all of this would all end up.

"Jagrafess." Rose repeated. "You're not a Jagrafess. You're human."

"Yeah, well simply being human doesn't pay very well."

"But you couldn't have done this all on your own." Rose protested.

"No! I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to um..." The man looked up, uneasily. "Install himself."

The Doctor snorted. "No wonder, a creature that size."

Cathica, still hiding in plain sight, took the time to look at the ceiling, wondering what they were all talking about, and almost screamed when she saw the Jagrafess on the ceiling.

"What is his life span?" The Priestess asked, curiously.

"Three thousand years."

"That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs, Jagrafess stays cool, stays alive." The Doctor trailed off.

"Satellite Five results in becoming his life support system." The Priestess finished.

* * *

Adam nestled himself in the large, reclining chair in the middle of the room. He leaned back and pulled out Rose's phone from his pocket, dialling the number for his home phone on the mobile.

"Me again. Don't wipe this message." Adam ordered. "It's just gonna sound like white noise, but save it because I can translate it. Okay? Three, two, one... and spike."

The compressed information started to flow into Adam's brain.

* * *

"But _that's_ why you're so dangerous. Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown."

The man gave a small laugh and then snapped his fingers. The manacles sent an electric shock through the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose, the latter whimpering in pain, while the formers simply gritted their teeth against it.

"Who are you?" The man demanded.

* * *

Adam started to shake as the blue light coursed into his head.

* * *

The Doctor grimaced in pain and looked at the Priestess, worriedly.

"Leave her alone." The Doctor growled at the man, indicating the Priestess, who had her eyes squeezed shut. "I'm the Doctor, she's the Priestess and she's Rose Tyler, we're nothing, we're just wandering."

"Tell me who you are!" The man demanded again.

"I just said!" The Doctor protested, feeling helpless as the woman next to him shook in pain.

"Yeah, but who do you work for?" The man rolled his eyes. "Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly-" He stopped.

The Doctor and the Priestess, who had opened her eyes the minute the man had stopped, looked at the man, questioningly. The man smiled, triumphantly, at them.

"Time Lords." The man simply said.

The Doctor's and the Priestess' eyes widened. "What?" They breathed in horror, wondering how the man could have possibly figured who and what they were.

"Oh, yes!" The man laughed in disbelief. "The last of the Time Lords in their travelling machine. Oh, with their little human girl from long ago..." The man reached out and touched Rose's face, gently, but she jerked away from him, hissing in revulsion.

"You don't know what you're talking about." The Doctor shook his head in vain.

"Time travel."

"Someone has been telling you lies." The Priestess growled, determined that, even if the man killed the two of them, he wouldn't get his hands on the TARDIS.

"Young master Adam Mitchell?" The man raised an eyebrow, snapping his fingers, and a projection of Adam, sitting in the chair in the Spike Room, writhing and screaming in pain, the compressed information still flowing into him, appeared in the air.

"Oh, my God, his head!" Rose shrieked in horror.

"What the hell's he done? What the hell's he gone and done?" The Doctor shouted, his eyes going wide.

Cathica listened to their conversation, carefully.

"They are reading his mind." The Priestess murmured in dread. "He is telling them _everything_." She snarled in fury.

"And through him, I know everything about you. Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor, Priestess. The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you've seen in your T-A-R-D-I-S. TARDIS." The man smirked in triumph at them.

"You'll never get your hands on it." The Doctor growled, glowering at the man.

"We will die first." The Priestess promised. Not only was the TARDIS the only thing they had left of Gallifrey, she had taken care of her Bondmate for the past nine-hundred years. She owed the TARDIS a great debt and she'd be damned if she let someone take a hold of the only home she had left.

"Die all you like." The man shrugged. "I don't need you. I've got the key."

Rose's key started to, slowly, float from Adam's breast pocket and dangled in his face.

The Priestess' eyes widened and she turned to Rose. "You gave him your key?" She hissed.

The Doctor rounded on Rose, glaring at her, fiercely. "You and your boyfriends!" He snarled.

"Today, _we_ are the headlines. We can rewrite history. We could prevent mankind from ever developing." The man smirked.

"And no one will stop you." The Priestess sighed in resignation.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie. They'll just trot right into the slaughter house if they're told it's made of gold."

He narrowed his eyes at Cathica, meaning her in that comment, who was still listening, revelation dawning on her face, as she realised that everything she had thought about Satellite Five had been an enormous lie. She gritted her teeth and schooled her features, coming to a decision.

* * *

Cathica entered the broadcasting room on Floor 500. She tossed the rotted corpse off the large chair in the middle of the room and took a seat on it, herself.

"Disengage safety." She ordered.

The walls around her started to light up.

* * *

An alarm started to blare through the icy rooms.

"What's happening?" The man asked, confused, looking around and rushing over to the computer, staring at the screens, intently.

"Maximum access. Override Floor 139." Cathica growled.

* * *

The blue electricity dissipated and the information stopped flowing into Adam, and the TARDIS fell from the air onto the floor, Adam going unconscious due to the force of the information stream.

* * *

"And... spike!" Cathica shouted.

The information started to stream into her.

* * *

"Someone's disengaged the safety." The man breathed. He snapped his fingers and a projection of Cathica formed in the air, showing the compressed information streaming right into her brain. "Who's that?!"

"It's Cathica!" Rose exclaimed.

"And she's thinking. She's using what she knows!" The Doctor shouted, triumphantly, looking at Cathica with something akin to pride.

"Terminate her access." The man ordered Suki.

"Everything we told her about Satellite Five, the pipes, the filters, everything, she is reversing it." The Priestess smirked.

"Look at that!" The Doctor grinned at her, motioning to the icicles on the ceiling, which had started to melt. "It's getting hot."

"I said, terminate!" The man, frantically, placed his own hands over Suki's, trying to do what she was not. "Burn her mind." He hissed.

"Oh, no, you don't. You should've promoted me _years_ back." Cathica growled, her fist hitting the chair in her anger and resentment.

All the screens suddenly started to explode with sparks and the Drones fell to the floor, all of them lifeless. Satellite Fiver shuddered and alarms went off. The Priestess' and Rose's manacles fell off, freeing them.

The man was, frantically, trying to get the corpses to sit upright again.

Cathica smiled.

"She's venting the heat up here. The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano." The Doctor crowed.

The Jagrafess was roaring violently, while the Doctor laughed.

The man looked up at the Jagrafess, hesitating. "Yes! Uh... I'm trying, sir but, I don't know how she did it, it's impossible. A member of staff with an idea-" He shook his head in disbelief.

The Jagrafess roared, angrily. The man pushed Suki's corpse aside and tried to operate the computer himself, but it was in vain. The Priestess, free from the manacles, slid her hand into the inside pocket of the Doctor's jacket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver and flicked the switch, pointing it at the Doctor's manacles, while Rose watched them, worriedly. The Jagrafess roared and snapped at them, menacingly. After a few moments, the buzzing from the sonic screwdriver started to work, the Priestess' face etched in concentration, and the Doctor's manacles snapped open. A small explosion went off nearby, causing Rose to jump in surprise.

"Oi, mate, wanna bank on a certainty?" The Doctor asked the man, cockily. "Massive heat in a massive body. Massive bang!" The Doctor pulled himself out of the chains, just as lumps of flesh started falling off the Jagrafess, the Priestess waiting for him, impatiently. "See you in the headlines!"

The Priestess glowered at him. "Can we leave now?" She asked, impatiently.

The Doctor grinned at her and grabbed her hand and Rose's hand, the three of them making a run for it.

They ran across Floor 500, hand in hand, avoiding the large lumps of melting snow falling from the ceiling. They ran into the Spike Room of Floor 500, where Cathica was still lying, the information still streaming into her head. The Doctor and the Priestess jumped onto the platform and the Doctor snapped his fingers, the blue light disappearing. Cathica, shakily, opened her eyes and looked up at the Doctor and the Priestess, who smiled, proudly, down at her.

* * *

Everyone was still recovering from the commotion. The Doctor and Cathica were sitting at one of the canteen tables, the Priestess standing behind the Doctor and Rose standing off to one side, leaning against the table.

"We're just gonna go. I hate tidying up. Too many questions. You'll manage." The Doctor grinned at her.

Cathica's eyes widened. "You'll have to stay and explain it, no-one's gonna believe me."

"You might be surprised. They might just start believing many things now." The Priestess offered.

The Doctor nodded. "The Human Race should accelerate. All back to normal." He smiled, cheerfully.

_All in a day's work, huh, 'Nikki?_ He thought.

_I suppose this is what you do? _

_It's what we're meant to do, isn't it?_

_Beloved, I do not think there has ever been a time where you have done what you are meant to do._ She thought, cheekily, making him smirk.

Cathica turned around and eyed Adam, who was loitering by the TARDIS, looking very sheepish. "What about your friend?" She asked, warily.

"He's not _our_ friend." The Doctor growled. He stood up and menacingly marched in Adam's direction.

"Now, don't-" Rose started to warn the Doctor, but the Priestess raised a hand, halting her.

"Rose, do not try and stop him. You have no idea the extent of the catastrophe Adam would have caused if he had succeeded in his little stunt." The Priestess said, grimly, following the Doctor towards the TARDIS. Just her protectiveness over the TARDIS was enough to want rip the human to shreds. Because of the human's hubris, the man up in Floor 500 might have actually acquired the TARDIS. The Other knows what would happened if that had occurred. The entire human race might have ceased to exist.

The Doctor advanced on Adam, a frightening look on his face.

"I'm all right now. Much better. I've got the key." Adam, shakily, raised the key, knowing that the Doctor was going to give him hell. "Well, it's... I know..." He laughed, nervously. "It all worked out for the best, didn't it?" He laughed again.

The Doctor snatched the key off him and grabbed Adam by the shoulder, unlocking the TARDIS with one hand.

"You know, it's not actually my fault, because _YOU_ were in charge-" Adam began, defensively.

The Doctor resisted the urge to growl and shoved Adam inside, ignoring him completely.

* * *

The Doctor pushed Adam out of the TARDIS, just as the Priestess managed to navigate it to the boy's living room. Rose followed them out, waiting for the Priestess to come out, before shutting the doors behind her.

"It's my house! I'm home! Oh, my God, I'm home!" Adam laughed in relief. The Doctor and the Priestess glared at him. Adam turned to them. "Blimey. I thought you were going to chuck me out of an airlock." He muttered.

"I was considering it." The Priestess narrowed her eyes at the boy. "But the Doctor rejected my proposal."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else you want to tell us?" He asked.

"No. Um... what do you mean?"

The Doctor walked over to the telephone and picked it up. "The archive of Satellite Five. One second of that message could've changed the world."

Adam looked rather caught out. The Doctor put down the phone and took out his sonic screwdriver. Adam looked as though he wanted to stop the Doctor, but couldn't think of anything to say that would stop the Doctor, and merely looked at him, wordlessly, while the Doctor blew up the telephone.

"That's it, then. See ya." The Doctor started to walk back to the TARDIS.

"How do you mean, 'see ya'?" Adam asked, confused.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "I believe it is a colloquialism for 'goodbye'."

"But... what about me? You can't just go, I've got my head, I've got a chip type two, my head opens." Adam protested.

"What, like this?" The Doctor asked. He clicked his fingers and Adam's head slid open.

"Don't." Adam said, angrily, clicking the hole closed.

"What ever do you mean?" The Priestess asked, innocently, and snapped her fingers, watching Adam with a vindictive smile.

"Stop it!" Adam shouted and clicked it close again.

"All right now, you two, that's enough. Stop it." Rose pacified them.

The Priestess and the Doctor looked away, backing down, momentarily, the former smirking, realising what Rose was about to do.

"Thank you." Adam said, mollified.

Rose clicked her fingers, smirking.

"Oi!" Adam exclaimed.

Rose started to snigger. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Adam closed it again.

"The whole of history could've changed because of you." The Doctor said, sharply.

"I just wanted to help." Adam protested.

"No," The Priestess corrected. "You were trying to help yourself."

"And, I'm sorry. I've said I'm sorry, and I am, I really am, but you can't just leave me like this." Adam pleaded.

"Oh, you will find that we can." The Priestess pointed out.

The Doctor nodded. "'Cos if you show your head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to live a very quiet life. Keep out of trouble. Be average. Unseen. Good luck." The Doctor held out the TARDIS doors open for the Priestess to step through.

"But I wanna come with you!"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Can't always get what you want." He grumbled.

They heard the door opening and someone entering the house, plastic rustling amidst them.

"Oh my God." Adam breathed.

"Who's that? Jeff? Is that you?" Adam's mum called out.

"It's me, mum, don't come in, wait there a minute." Adam hastened.

"Oh, my Lord! You never told me you were coming home!" Adam's mum exclaimed. Rose watched Adam's embarrassed face, relishing in it with a smile. "Hold on, I'll just take my coat off. You should've told me you were coming home. I would've got your favourite tea in."

"Rose… take me with you." Adam begged.

Rose stared at Adam as if she had never seen him before in her life, and walked into the TARDIS without looking back once. The engines started.

* * *

The Priestess and the Doctor had rolled underneath the console of the TARDIS, both of them fixing something separate, but working together like a well-oiled machine. Rose simply watched them from one of the struts, curiously.

"So…" Rose began, warily. "You two were like friends back on your planet?" She asked. "Cause you act like you've known each other for awhile."

"Well…" The Doctor drawled. "Actually, we're-"

"We were best friends back on our planet, yes. We practically grew up together." The Priestess interjected before the Doctor could reveal to Rose the exact nature of their relationship.

Rose smiled at them. "That's really sweet. You guys reunited again." She said.

The Doctor stared at the Priestess, curiously, and narrowed his eyes at her, wondering why she had cut in before he could tell Rose exactly who the Priestess was to him. He pursed his lips, but he didn't add anything. He'd ask her later why she had lied to Rose. The Priestess always did everything for a reason.

* * *

The Priestess crawled into the large poster bed and sidled herself against the Doctor, curling up against his side and lying her head on his bare chest, smiling when she heard his double heartbeat. His hands stroked through her hair and she hummed in response.

"You wanna explain something to me?" The Doctor asked and his chest rumbled underneath her.

She turned her head and looked up at him, frowning in confusion. "What is it?" She asked, cautiously, a part of her knowing exactly what he was going to ask her, having expecting it ever since they had been in the console room with Rose.

"You gonna tell me why you stopped me telling Rose back there that we were Bondmates and that you're most important thing in my existence?" The Doctor asked, blandly, her eyes searching hers.

The Priestess sighed and stroked down his chest with one finger. She slid around and covered as much of his body as she possibly could with her own, practically lying on top of him at this point, her legs entwined in his. She rested her chin on his chest and reached up to stroke his cheek.

"While those are very sweet sentiments and I appreciate them, greatly, there _are_ reasons why I chose not to disclose the nature of our relationship to Rose." She said, cautiously, hoping that the vague explanation would be enough.

"Tell me what those reasons are." The Doctor demanded, his arms wrapping around her waist to trap her against him.

"Do you trust me, Theta?" She asked, suddenly, her voice and eyes careful in what she allowed him to see.

"What sorta stupid question is that?" The Doctor asked, confused by turn the conversation had taken.

"Answer the question." The Priestess chided, gently.

"Yes, 'course I do, 'Nika." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Don't think there's anyone I trust more than you."

The Priestess softened when she heard his comment, her hearts growing fonder by the moment. Sometimes, she thought there was no possible way she could love him anymore than she already did, and then she was pleasantly surprised. "Then… please do not ask me any more questions." She patted him on the cheek. She knew that would be the hardest for the Doctor to accept. He was inquisitive by nature and she was taking a gamble by asking him to trust her without a question.

"Not ask any more questions?!" The Doctor exclaimed, angrily, glaring down at her in dismay and worry.

"My love, I was hesitant to tell Rose who we were to each other because there are certain events that must happen while she is under that impression." The Priestess explained, quietly.

"Like what?" The Doctor growled. He was completely lost. How does not telling one human girl about the nature of their relationship influence so much?

The Priestess glared at him and his eyes fell, suitably chastened. She had always been notoriously secretive about what she saw. She only ever told him summaries if she was scared beyond belief or if it involved him, and if it did, she only divulged what he needed to know. He supposed he'd have to just wait and see where all of this would end up. He'd just have to trust her.

* * *

It was hours after they had both fallen asleep in each other's arms, when she started to shake. He supposed he should have expected it. She had never been able to escape it, ever since she was a frightened eight-year-old girl, staring at the infinite majesty of the Untempered Schism.

The Doctor was roused awake, when he heard thrashing beside him. His eyes snapped open, after centuries of vigilance, and turned to his side, only to see the Priestess lying next to him, her entire body writhing in something's embrace. He paled and reached for her, only to be smacked away by one of her wavering hands.

It was then she started to scream, incoherently. Her eyes snapped open and he could her normally soft brown eyes swirled with gold, the tell-tale sign that she was in the throes of a vision. Her head convulsed against the pillow, her neck coiling and snapping in every direction, her nails dug into the bed sheets, her fingers curled into fists. Her mouth was opened in a scream and she twisted and turned in some horrific likeness of a seizure. Or a possession.

All she could see was gold. Her eyes clenched shut and she gasped, breathing heavily, as the image of Rose ripping up the TARDIS' grill slipped into her mind. She saw the blonde girl standing with gold eyes, not unlike hers during a vision, in the doors of the TARDIS, her yellow hair fluttering around her hair. She saw the girl's hand raise, tinged with yellow as well. She saw a handsome young man, lying limp against a wall, draw in a sharp breath, as his eyes snapped open. She felt her skin itch as if he were right there with her. She saw him die and die and die again. She gasped again and saw only gold, her eyes burning and her head aching and her skin tingling, madly.

Suddenly, her entire torso swung up in a contortionist movement that shocked even him, knowing her to be flexible in her other bodies. Her head spun to look at him, her burning gold eyes setting his teeth on edge and boiling his blood in a familiar way.

She cocked her head to stare at him, her mouth opening, and words spilled from her lips in beautiful and damning Old High Gallifreyan.

"She will create herself. She will swallow the whole of Time and Time will raise her in the image she must be to save the Warrior and the Prophet. She will turn everything into dust. She will bring life and death to all and she will burn. She is the Bad Wolf."

She took a deep breath and fell back onto the bed, her eyes closed.

The Doctor stared at her, not taking the slightest breath, thanking every deity he had ever heard of or encountered for that respiratory bypass of his. His hand shook as it reached out and stroked her hair, comfortingly. He felt her shudder under his touch and slid even closer to her, pulling into his side. He rested his chin on the top of her head, knowing that she always felt traumatised after one of her dreams. She curled up into his side and sobbed against his chest. He hushed her, humming some silly Gallifreyan lullaby she had sung to him when he and their children were young and feeling particularly upset. When her tears didn't stop, he sought something else which he might use to soothe her, finally just muttering nonsensical endearments and clutching her to him, just as terrified as she was, but needing to be strong for her.

When she had finally quietened, she didn't leave his embrace, instead, she burrowed inside his skin even deeper. She could still feel herself trembling and a few tears still dripped down her cheek, falling onto the Doctor's skin, which didn't seem to worry him at all.

_Dream Child, are you all right now? _The TARDIS screeched, worriedly.

The Doctor nodded, hearing the sentiment through the connection he shared with the Priestess. _She's just recovering, old girl. You know how she gets after one of her dreams._

_My poor prophet. She truly suffers, doesn't she? _The TARDIS sang through their minds, sending soothing waves through both of their minds, flashing blue.

_She does_. The Doctor agreed, thanking the TARDIS for her concern and comfort.

"You haven't had a dream in awhile, have you?" The Doctor asked her, softly.

She shook her head against his skin. "No, not since the War." She explained.

"I wonder what changed now." The Doctor mused aloud. "Don't suppose you'll tell me what you saw?" He asked, hopefully.

The Priestess swallowed hard and shook her head, remembering the awe and horror at seeing Rose look like that, and she clung to him.

"Okay." The Doctor said, soothingly. She hooked a leg over his and he brought up the covers to wrap around them, making sure they were both in a comfortable situation, before his eyes fell shut, the Priestess nestled against his side.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all liked the chapter! I don't want to go into too much detail on that last scene. I think it would be easier for you to ask any questions you might have and I'll try and explain it to the best of my ability without giving anything away. But it does raise some interesting questions about the Priestess and her gift.

The Priestess didn't tell Rose what kind of relationship she has with the Doctor. I wonder why she did something like that? I wonder if Rose is already getting jealous of the Priestess. And the Priestess does feel a strange sort of kinship with the TARDIS, which will be explained when you find out more about the Priestess' gift.

Anyway, hope you all liked it and don't forget to review!


	6. Father's Day: Cats in the Cradle

Dream Weaver – Chapter 6

A/N: Here's _Father's Day_. I've actually wanted to write this chapter with the Priestess in it for so long that I couldn't believe I had actually got to it. Expect a completely different _Father's Day_ to TDOTAY here. The Priestess will not take lightly what Rose is about to do.

Replies to Reviews:

NicoleR85: I did too, but I thought it wouldn't have had much of an impact on Rose at that point in time. It'll be awhile before Rose learns of the Priestess' _real_ relationship with the Doctor. It didn't make much sense to have a jealous Rose who already knew what the Doctor felt about the Priestess. In my opinion, if Rose knew the Doctor was taken, I don't think she'd pursue him, so I needed a plausible scenario for why Rose wouldn't know.

Imforsuperwhopotterlockalways: I'm glad you're liking the story so far!

dramioneismyfuture: So did I, but again, I didn't think Rose would continue to pursue the Doctor if she knew that the Doctor and the Priestess were 'married'. I think she'd be jealous later on, but a quiet jealous, not a loudmouth one, and I wanted a loudmouth one in this story. It'll be awhile before Rose finds out that the Doctor is in love with the Priestess. I thought she needed a little hope to get her through Season 2.

masterdude94: I'm glad you found the vision interesting. I wanted to write a Time Lady tied to the Untempered Schism who has visions of the future/past. I thought it would be an interesting dynamic between her and the Doctor, who always wants to know everything. Oh, I didn't even realise the similarities, to be honest, but yeah, I was going for a chill factor with that last scene. I was hoping that the imagery gave a sort of Exorcist feeling or something really supernatural.

Warnings: Protective Doctor, flirting and probably that's all.

* * *

Father's Day: Cats in the Cradle

Rose walked into the console room, spotting the Priestess sitting on the captain's chair, while the Doctor walked around the TARDIS, pressing down buttons and pushing down levers. She marvelled at the Priestess' attempts to wear different clothes every day, unlike the Doctor, today sporting a loose white shirt and knee-length silver skirt, contrasted against the darkness of the Doctor's leather jacket, dark jumper, dark trousers and dark boots. She smiled when she saw them. The Doctor did seem much more relaxed than he had been before they had gone to Van Statten's museum.

She thought they were adorable together, the Priestess reminded her of someone in Lord of the Rings or some other fantasy movie. She was so graceful, practically flitting around on her feet, and she was smart. As smart as the Doctor, maybe even more. She could keep up with him even when Rose was lost, always adding things that made him think, and she could fly the TARDIS. She had briefly thought if there was anything romantic between them, but the Priestess had wiped away any of those thoughts after she had informed Rose that they were "best friends" only. The resentment and worry she had felt when the Priestess had first come on board was slowly disappearing. She could see that the Doctor felt something different towards the Priestess than he did for Rose. The two women had their own roles in his life and they didn't overlap, at least, she hoped they wouldn't.

She, cautiously, strode up to them, the Priestess' head turning to face her when she got close. The Priestess smiled at her, holding out her hand for her to come closer. Rose took a seat next to the Priestess and the Doctor turned around to face her, the two Time Lords realising there was something on her mind.

"Are you all right, Rose? Is there something wrong?" The Priestess asked, worriedly.

Rose took a deep breath, wondering what the best way was to broach the subject. "Peter Alan Tyler, my dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Born 15th of September 1954." She started.

* * *

Rose, aged around 6, poked her head around her mother's bedroom door. Jackie, Rose's mother, was sitting on the bed with a photo album out and open on her lap.

"Come here, Rose. Come here..." Jackie encouraged, softly, patting the space on the bed next to her. Rose clambered on to the bed, her tiny fists digging into the sheets beneath her. Jackie pointed to a photo of her husband and Rose's father, Pete. "Who's that? It's your Daddy. You weren't old enough to remember when he died. 1987. 7th of November. Do you remember what I told you? The day that Stuart Hoskins and Sarah Clarke got married?" She turned the page to reveal a photo of Jackie and Pete together. "He was always having adventures. Oh, he would have loved to have seen you now." Jackie said, wistfully.

* * *

Rose was leaning against the console, having switched positions with the Doctor, who was now sitting on the captain's chair, comfortably, his arm around the Priestess' shoulders.

"That's what mum always says. So, I was thinking... could we? Could we go and see my dad when he was still alive?" Rose asked, hopefully.

The Doctor frowned, shifting slightly in the chair. "Where's this come from, all of a sudden?" He asked, a little suspiciously. After that incident with Adam, he couldn't be too careful about her motives.

"All right then," Rose rolled her eyes. "If we can't, if it goes against the laws of time or something, then never mind, we'll just leave it."

"No," The Doctor shook his head. "We can do anything."

"We are just more worried about you." The Priestess said, gently, noticing the put-out tone that Rose had adopted.

Rose shook her head. "I wanna see him." She said, softly and earnestly.

"Your wish is my command. But be careful what you wish for." He warned and the Doctor stood up and started the TARDIS engines, watching the time rotor rise and fall with mixed feelings of trepidation and exhilaration, while the Priestess watched on worriedly.

She knew what the Doctor was planning was against their Laws. They weren't allowed to interfere with peoples' past and she knew that Rose had been alive when her father had died. They would be interacting with her younger self and that would only cause trouble. She knew she should say something to the contrary. However, she kept herself silent when she saw the Doctor's proud look and Rose's expectant and excited look, resolving to say something if she thought what he had planned would go wrong.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose were sitting in the back row of a small crowd in a registry office, witnessing the wedding of Jackie and Pete.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline, Angela, Suzette Prentiss..." The registrar motioned to Pete.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne... Suzette... Anita..." Pete blinked a few times, obviously trying to remember the correct names.

Jackie narrowed her eyes at him, slightly, and Pete looked at registrar, helplessly.

"Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di." Jackie scoffed, rolling her eyes.

The Doctor and the Priestess smiled at that and looked at each other.

_We never had anything like this, did we?_ The Priestess asked, her eyes grieving for something that couldn't have been prevented in the first place.

_We had to hide our Rite, unfortunately. Tucked away inside the Academy during the break, hidden in my room for two weeks._ The Doctor's voice was teasing as he attempted to alleviate her distress. _It was a nice two weeks, wasn't it?_

_Oh, the very best_. The Priestess said, playfully, her eyes losing some of the grief and growing warm with the memories of those two weeks.

They hadn't left his room for two weeks, just relishing each other's presence and the security of knowing that no one could tear them apart after that first night, despite her father's many attempts. It wasn't as if it were their first times spending the night together. Their affair had been going on for decades, quiet and hidden from prying eyes, restricted to longing glances and soft touches and clandestine nights spent in each others' arms, shielded from the outside world. They had kept the secret of their relationship for so long that once they had formalised their union, they still preferred to keep it between them, not wanting anyone to intrude on their bliss. It had come as such a great surprise to everyone when the Doctor declared in front of her entire family and her livid father that _he_ was her Bondmate and that she was his in every way she needed and wanted to be. She still swore that her father would have struck her had the Doctor not taken a protective stance in front of her and warned him against the action.

_Do you wanna get married, 'Nika?_ The Doctor asked, carefully. _We both love Earth. We could have a human wedding ceremony. _

The Priestess looked at him, curiously. _Who would we invite?_

_Right… bad idea._ The Doctor grimaced, feeling the stirrings of pain and guilt, which stopped when the Priestess' hand fell onto his and squeezed, tightly.

_We could always invite some of your old companions. The Brigadier, Jo, Sarah, Tegan. _The Priestess swallowed hard, the two of them hearing the unsaid name. _Romana._

Both of them flinched and the Doctor looked down at Rose, who was sitting on the other side of him, worriedly, seeing the despondent expression on her face.

"I thought he'd be taller." Rose said, disappointedly.

"... To be my lawful wedded wife, to love and behold 'til death us do part." The registrar finished.

* * *

Jackie wrapped an arm around a young Rose's shoulders.

"He died so close to home." Jackie said, quietly, sadly. "I wasn't there. Nobody was. It was a hit and run driver. Never found out who. He was dead when the ambulance got there."

Rose looked up at her, solemnly, not understanding what her mother was saying then, but understanding that it was serious and upsetting for her mother.

"I only wish there'd been _someone_ there for him." Jackie commented.

Rose looked down, sadly, then back up at her mother.

* * *

"I wanna be that someone." Rose declared. "So he doesn't die alone."

"November the 7th?" The Doctor asked.

"1987." Rose nodded.

The Doctor started the engines.

The Priestess pursed her lips in disapproval. _Theta, I do not think that is this is a good idea. You are asking for trouble by going along with this plan. There ARE laws against this, my love. Laws that are meant to protect everyone. What if she attempts to prevent his death? It could draw the Reapers or the Chronovores and the two of us would not be able to stop them. I am asking you to rethink this quest._

_Don't worry, 'Nika, Rose wouldn't do somethin' like that. _The Doctor reassured her and pressed the button for dematerialisation.

However, the Priestess wasn't too sure. She looked over at Rose, warily, who was watching the time rotor rise and fall, apprehensively. When the rattling of the TARDIS stopped, she looked over at the door.

* * *

It was November 7th 1987, when they stepped out of the TARDIS. It was still, quiet sort of day, no children playing in the streets, not many cars in the road, not many people walking along the sidewalk. They could hear music playing from somewhere.

"That's so weird. The day my father died... I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy, it's just an ordinary day." Rose murmured.

The Priestess frowned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, comfortingly. "When we lose someone, it always seems like a different day to others. The day seems normal for them, but the day for us is hell." She murmured, biting her lip when she glanced at the Doctor.

"The past is another country." The Doctor nodded, wistfully, thinking of another time and place and the stench of decomposing flesh surrounding him. "1987's just the Isle of Wight." He looked down at Rose. "Are you sure about this?"

Rose swallowed hard and tried to calm herself down, feeling as though her stomach was knotted up like rope. "Yeah." She said, hoarsely.

* * *

Rose, the Doctor and the Priestess stood on the curb of the pavement in the Powell Estate, waiting with dread, side by side.

"This is it." Rose swallowed. "Jordan Road. He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said… that stupid vase." She said, bitterness creeping into her voice. Her throat choked up, as if she were fighting off tears. A car rounded the corner. "He got out of his car..." The car pulled over to the pavement. "... and crossed the road." The car stopped. "Oh, God. This is it." She breathed, horrified, wondering if she was doing the right thing by watching this happen.

Pete, oblivious to what was in store for him, picked up a vase that was seated on the passenger's seat. The Doctor frowned and took Rose's hand in his, intertwining their fingers, the Priestess watching his action with interest. Pete got out of his car, unaware that another car had just rounded the corner and was heading straight for him. He turned around, enlightened by the sound of the tires screeching against the gravel, and his eyes widened with shock. The driver threw his hand over his eyes, unable to watch what was about to happen. Rose, quickly, ducked her head into the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor and the Priestess watched as the vase fell to the floor and smashed into pieces and Pete was hit by the oncoming car, vaulted into the air and thrown to the ground. Rose lifted her head from the Doctor's shoulder and her face paled when saw her father lying on the road, twitching, but still.

"Go to him. Quick." The Doctor muttered.

But Rose didn't even have the strength to think, let alone move her legs, and she just stood there, watching horrified as her father died right before her eyes.

* * *

Rose, the Doctor and the Priestess leant against a wall. Rose had tears in her eyes, which she was trying her hardest to not trail down her cheeks. They could hear the ambulance sirens sounding.

"It's too late now." Rose mumbled. The Doctor and the Priestess looked at her, questioningly. "By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead." Her voice faltered, choked up with tears, and the Doctor and the Priestess couldn't stand to look at her any looking, turning in the other direction. Rose turned to the Doctor. "He can't die on his own." The Doctor looked back at her. "Can I try again?" She asked, hopefully.

The Doctor looked at the Priestess, warily, who shook her head in the negative.

_No, Theta. You have to draw a line here. This is worse than crossing her timeline. Now, we will be crossing our own timeline and even worse, we will still be there, standing on the pavement. We'd be creating a paradox. And those are tricky. You are playing with fire and you will get burnt._ She warned, harshly.

The Doctor had to agree with her. He knew it was wrong, but he was having a hard time refusing Rose. _We'll just have to see what happens_. He told her, blithely, knowing that he would get it nicely from her if it all went wrong.

* * *

Rose, the Doctor and the Priestess stood out of sight around the corner, watching the first set of themselves standing on the curb, waiting for Pete to appear.

"Right. That's the first you and us. It's a very bad idea, two sets of us being here at the same time." The Doctor muttered to himself, making the Priestess glare at him. "Just be careful they don't see us. Wait 'til she runs off and he follows, then go to your dad."

For the second time, Rose's father's car drew up along the side of the road.

"Oh, God. This is it." They heard the younger version of Rose whisper.

Pete picked up the vase from the passenger seat.

Rose shook her head. "I can't do this." She muttered.

The Priestess pursed her lips, fighting against herself, wanting to be comforting towards Rose in a hard time, but at the same time disapproving of what she was putting the Doctor through and what the Doctor was willing to do to please her. "You do not have to do anything you do not want to, but this is the last time we can be here." The Priestess explained, gently.

Rose stared at her father getting out of the car, her hands shaking at her sides, breathing heavily. She bit her lower lip and made a split second decision, running out onto the road.

"Rose! No!" The Doctor and the Priestess shouted, both stricken, their hands reaching out to stop her from doing something stupid.

The car rounded the corner. Rose ran past the first set of the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose, and knocked her father out of the way of the oncoming car, throwing them both to the floor. The first set of the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose looked bewildered by what they were seeing before them and faded away. The Doctor and the Priestess looked on in horror, the Priestess holding her hand over her mouth in shock. Rose stared at her father as he got to his feet and brushed himself off.

"I did it! I saved your life!" Rose cried, ecstatically.

Pete looked at the car that had almost run him over. "Blimey, did you see the speed of it? Did you get his number?" He asked Rose.

Rose couldn't bring herself to answer his question, deciding to focus on the fact that she had managed to save her father's life. "I really did it. Oh, my God, look at you! You're alive! That car was gonna kill ya!"

"Well, give me some credit, I did see it coming. I wasn't gonna walk under it, was I?" Pete smirked.

"I'm Rose." Rose said, suddenly, looking at him expectantly, half-hoping that he would recognise her as his daughter right off the bat.

"That's a coincidence. That's my daughter's name." Pete replied, glancing at her a little nervously.

Rose smiled in delight. "That's a great name. Good choice, well done." She stammered, so overcome by joy.

There was a few seconds of silence as Rose smiled at him, unable to even take her eyes off him, and he looked as though he didn't know what to say to this strange girl who had just saved his life.

"Right, I'd better shift. I've got a wedding to go to." Pete said, quickly.

Rose's eyes lit up. "Is that Sarah Clarke's wedding?" She asked, slyly.

"Yeah," Pete frowned. "Are you going?"

Rose hesitated. "…Yeah."

"You, your boyfriend and your friend need a lift?" Pete asked, gesturing to the Doctor and the Priestess, who were simply staring at them, darkly, by the corner.

_I knew this would happen._ The Priestess snapped at the Doctor._ I knew she would not be able to resist the urge to save his life. She is a human girl, what were you expecting, exactly? She was just faced with the prospect that she might be able to save his life. What she did was impulsive and hot-headed and she might have just ruined everything. I seem to recall you saying that Rose would not do something like that. Well, she certainly showed you. _She said, snarkily. She knew she was being spiteful, by throwing everything back in his face, but she had tried to warn him and he hadn't listened to her. He always listened to her. And she knew him. Better than anyone else. He could always admit when he was wrong to her. Maybe not to anyone else. But they had no pretences with each other. If he told her he would fix it, then she would take him at his word. _So many laws have been broken here today. _She moaned, her hand running through her hair._ The Other knows what will happen now, Theta. What if the Reapers come? What will we do then? We can hardly stop them from sterilising the wound._

_I'll sort it out, I promise_. The Doctor reassured her, his eyes narrowed at Rose and her father, arm slipping around her and rubbing her back.

* * *

Pete entered a flat, followed by Rose and the Doctor and the Priestess. He put the vase down on the table next to the door.

"There we go. Sorry about the mess. If you want a cup of tea, the kitchen's just down there, milk's in the fridge... well, it would be, wouldn't it? Where else would you put the milk? Mind you, there's always the window sill outside." Pete turned to look at the three strangers. "I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt... make a lot of money out of that."

Rose still could not tear her eyes from him. She just simply smiled at him with delight, rejoicing in the fact that he was in front of her, talking to her, and he was alive. The Doctor nodded, politely, and the Priestess gave Pete a tight smile, from behind her.

"Sell it to students and things..." Pete paused, pondering something. "I should write that down." He mused. "Anyway, never mind that, excuse me..." He pushed past them and disappeared through a door.

Rose looked around an older version of a flat that would soon be hers. "All the stuff mum kept. His stuff. She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard, she used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink." She explained to the Time Lords. The Doctor leaned against the doorframe, while the Priestess narrowed her eyes at Rose, calculatively, both not saying a word. "Here it is. On display. Where it _should_ be." She declared.

The spitting fury returned to the Priestess with full force. Who was this… this human… to decide what _should _be? She looked at the Doctor, angrily, wondering if she was going to say something, only to see him silent, his arms folded across his chest, looking angry himself at Rose. Rose picked up a trophy and held it up for them.

"Third prize at the bowling... first two got to go to Didcot." Rose examined it for a few seconds, then replaced it. Her eyes were drawn to a box of large bottles in the corner of the room. She bent down at her knees to look at it. "Health drinks. Tonics, mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He's so clever." She said, happily.

The Doctor and the Priestess still didn't say a word. Rose looked around and spotted some blueprints sitting on a table.

"Solar power. Mum said he was gonna do this. Now he can." Rose sighed and looked at the Doctor, smiling expectantly. He did not smile back and her smile fell. "Okay, look... I'll tell him you're not my boyfriend."

The Doctor paused before speaking. "When we met, I said 'travel with me in space'. You said no. Then I said 'time machine'." He started, suspiciously.

"It wasn't some big plan. I just saw it happening and I thought... I can stop it." Rose said, defensively.

The Doctor shook his head. "I did it again. I picked another _stupid_ ape. I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe, it never is." He growled. He had to admit his pride was hurt. He had trusted that Rose would never do something like this. He had gone against the Priestess' word and taken Rose at face value and look at what had happened. And now he had lost face in front of the Priestess and he didn't know how she'd ever look at him with the same sort of respect again. "It's about the universe doing something for you." He said, bitterly.

"So it's okay when _you_ go to other times, and _you_ save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad." Rose scowled.

"We know what we are doing, you do not." The Priestess snapped, her voice sharp and harsh, barely restraining her anger from bleeding into her words. "Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point."

"But he's alive!" Rose protested.

"Our entire planet died. Our whole family." The Doctor managed to see the Priestess' minute flinch out of the corner of his eye. "Do you think it never occurred to us to go back and save them?"

"But it's not like I've changed _history_. Not much, I mean... he's never gonna be a world leader, he's not gonna start World War Three or anything..." Rose trailed off, not understanding what the problem was with what she had done.

The Doctor took a few steps forward to her. "Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man, that's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive." He said, earnestly.

"What, would you rather him dead?" Rose asked, coldly.

"I'm not _saying_ that-" The Doctor said, exasperated, annoyed that she was trying to turn all of this back on him.

"Yes." The Priestess took a few steps forward, joining the Doctor at his side in a position of solidarity.

"Priestess…" The Doctor started, warningly.

"Excuse me?" Rose growled.

But the Priestess wasn't frightened by her tone. Her entire body tensed and she folded her arms across her chest, staring at Rose, defiantly. "You asked whether we preferred him dead. I am answering your question. I am saying yes." She snapped.

"How can you say that?" Rose asked, horrified.

"What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies?" She snarled, her pride hurting that this little girl had dared to assume that prerogative. And it hurt her all the more than the Doctor. Her, the one who could actually see what Time wanted and what Time had decided what would happen and this selfish little human had dared to think she knew better! Her blood boiled. "Therefore, I do prefer him dead. If I have to choose between the wellbeing of this entire planet compared to one human man's life, then I would rather him die." She said, coldly.

Rose's arm swung in an arc and struck the Priestess across the face, her head snapping to the side. The Doctor's eyes widened and his protective instincts kicked in, grabbing the Priestess by the waist and pulling her away and behind him to keep her safe. The Priestess touched her burning cheek, the chilly tips of her fingers soothing the welt. It didn't hurt, the slap, it was hardly the first one she had ever received and she was quite resilient. The Doctor glared, furiously, at Rose, whose face paled when she saw the expression the Doctor had adopted. She had never thought the Doctor would look at her like that. She had never thought she would ever be provoked to such a degree that she would actually hit someone.

"Give me the key." The Doctor snapped, holding his hand out, his mind thrumming with fury that this insignificant little human had dared to interfere with Time and _then_ proceed to _strike_ his Bondmate. His fists clenched at his side and he realised that he had never wanted to kill anyone as much Rose in his memories. He was barely controlling himself at this point. The Priestess slipped one of her hands into his large ones, twisting their fingers together and soothing him, her mind warming up against his. He sank into her mind, gratefully. She could always have this effect on him. She knew exactly what button to push to calm him down. Rose stared at him in shock. "The TARDIS key. If our knowledge is so unimportant compared to your dad's life, give it back to us."

Rose fumbled in her pocket and pulled it out. "All right then, I will." She growled, slapping it down into his hand, hard.

"Well, you've got what you wanted, so that's goodbye then." The Doctor said, coldly. He turned on her, grabbing the Priestess by the hand, and the two walked down the hallway to the door.

Rose couldn't let him have the last word, so she pursued him down the corridor. "You don't scare me." She said, unconvincingly, her voice trembling just the slightest. She stood in front of him, in between him and the door. "I know how sad you are. You'll be back in a minute. Or you'll hang around outside the TARDIS waiting for me."

The Doctor glared at her, fiercely. Did she really have such an overinflated sense of her own importance? The Priestess pursed her lips, not wanting to retort and raise another problem. The two of them pushed past her, opening the door and walking out, not looking back once

"And I'll make you wait a long time!" Rose shouted after them. She slammed the door and then leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

Pete poked his head around the bedroom door. "Boyfriend trouble?"

Rose stayed silent, fuming.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess walked back down the road, both of them angry. The Doctor suddenly stopped and held a hand to the Priestess' still smarting cheek, stroking it, worriedly.

"I am fine." The Priestess reassured him, covering his hand with her own.

The Doctor frowned at her, his thumb dragging down the inch of skin where Rose's ring had cut into, slicing it open, leaving a thin red scrape on the otherwise unblemished skin. The Priestess didn't flinch when his fingers touched the wound.

"You sure?" He asked, slowly.

"Yes, my love." She crooned, leaning up on her toes and pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth, briefly.

She paled, clutching her head, momentarily, as a sharp pain struck her skull. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

"What's wrong?" He asked, worriedly.

Her eyes squeezed shut and she opened them and looked at the sky. "They are coming." She murmured, searching the skies for a sign.

"Who are?" The Doctor asked, confused.

The Priestess simply pursed her lips and started walking in the way of the TARDIS.

* * *

At the flat, Rose was picking up peanuts that were strewn over the coffee table and putting them back on a plate. Pete entered the living room, now smartly dressed in a suit.

"Excuse me, do you mind? What're you tidying up for?" Pete asked her, confused.

Rose stopped, suddenly remembering that she didn't actually live in this flat yet. "Sorry... force of habit." She said, shyly.

"Listen, don't worry about him. Couples have rows all the time. And your friend will probably sort him out." Pete said, reassuringly.

Rose sank onto the couch, disgruntled. "We're not a couple. Why does _everyone_think we're a couple?" She sighed. "And she's really angry at me. I think they left me."

"What, a pretty girl like you? If I was going out with you-"

"Stop!" Rose shouted, her eyes wide with horror. "Right there!"

Pete frowned. "I was just saying..."

"I know what you're saying, and we're not going there. At no point are we going anywhere _near_there. You aren't even aware that _there_ exists." Rose said, shaking her head. Pete looked as if he were trying his hardest to follow her train of thought, but failing miserably. "I don't even want to think about _there__, _and believe me, neither do you. _There__... _for you... is like... pfft, it's like the Bermuda Triangle." She finished, strongly.

"Blimey," Pete chuckled. "You know how to flatter a bloke."

Rose jumped to her feet, suddenly invigorated, grabbed her jacket and offered her arm to Pete. "Right, are we off?"

Pete gestured to her proffered arm. "So, that wouldn't be a mixed signal at all?"

"Absolutely not." Rose said, innocently.

Pete sighed and took her arm, resignedly. They walked to the door. "I'll take you back to the loony bin where you belong. Still, I'm sure I've met you somewhere before..." He was saying as he opened the door and they walked out of the flat.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess rounded a corner to the road where they had parked the TARDIS earlier. A bird cawed in the distance. The Doctor still looked furious, although his face had softened since before, due to the Priestess holding his hand and keeping a tight hold on it, something that she was definitely good at. The Doctor dug into one of his pockets, trying to find it, and pulled it out. Suddenly, both of them looked up at the sky through the bare branches of a tree, as if they could sense something was wrong.

"Can you feel that?" The Doctor asked, quietly.

"Despite the pounding in my hand, yes, I can." She smiled, tiredly, at him and they both looked at the sky, worriedly.

The Doctor jammed the key in the lock and opened the doors of the TARDIS, the two of them stepping inside to find that it was just an ordinary police box. The inside was exactly the same size as the outside. They felt around the walls, frantically.

The Priestess paled. "Reapers." She breathed. "They have disrupted the TARDIS."

"Rose." They both said, simultaneously, knowing that the disturbance was centred on Rose and her father.

They both ran back in the direction in which they had come.

* * *

Pete was driving his car with Rose in the passenger seat.

"I met this bloke at the Horse's, and he's cutting me in on copyright." Pete explained.

Rose looked confused and glanced at Pete. "But I thought you were a proper businessman and that..."

"I wish!" Pete snorted. "Ah, I do a bit of this, a bit of that… a straight bloke."

"Right..." Rose pursed her lips. Her entire image of her father was falling apart all around her. She now realised that her mother had tried to spare her feelings and only tell her good things about him. Perhaps, that was all Jackie had wanted to remember after her husband had died. "So I must've heard wrong. So really you're a bit of a... a Del Boy? "

"Oh, shoot me down in flames. You're not related to my wife by any chance, are you?" Pete asked.

Rose put her hand over her mouth. "Oh, my God... she's gonna be at the wedding." She whispered.

"What, Jackie? Do you know her?" Pete asked, confused.

Rose swallowed and paused for a moment. "Sort of."

"What's she told you about me, then?" Pete asked, curiously.

Rose started to smile, widely. "She said she'd picked the most fantastic man in the world."

"Must be a different Jackie, then. She'd never say that." Pete laughed.

After a few seconds of silence, the radio sprung to life, playing a rap song. Pete looked irritated, practically glaring at the radio.

"This stuff goes right over my head." He muttered.

Rose's eyebrows furrowed. "That's not out yet." She said, confused.

Pete grimaced. "It's a good job and all."

Rose reached into her jacket for her mobile. "I'm just gonna check my messages."

Pete frowned. "How d'ya mean, messages?" He looked at the mobile in Rose's hand with scepticism. "Is that a phone?"

"Yeah…" Rose trailed off, holding the phone to her ear.

"Watson, come here, we need you. Watson, come here, we need you."

Rose furrowed her brow in confusion and glanced at her father, who also looked confused.

"Watson, come here, we need you."

Pete glanced in the rear view mirror at the car behind him. It looked incredibly similar to the one that had almost run him over and should have killed him earlier. It drove closer and closer, then rounded a corner and vanished, the driver throwing his arm over his arms before it did so.

* * *

Pete and Rose rounded the corner in Pete's car. Suddenly, the car that should have killed Pete appeared out of thin air and headed straight towards them.

"Dad!" Rose screamed, clutching onto the dashboard.

Pete swerved to avoid the car, beeping the horn. The car sped off down the road. Pete turned around in his seat to take a glance at it, while Rose stared straight in front her, shaken.

"It's that car! The same one as before!" Pete exclaimed.

They both got out of the car once they reached the church, Pete looking around for the mystery car.

"It was right in front of us, where's it gone?" He caught Rose's eye, frowning when he remembered something. "You called me 'dad', what did you say that for?"

Jackie suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a baby in a carry cot. "Oh, wonderful. Here he is, the accident waiting to happen." She hissed, unpleasantly.

Rose stared at her with wide eyes.

"You'd be late for your own funeral and it nearly was!" Jackie snarled.

"No damage done." Pete said, uncomfortably.

Jackie glanced, disdainfully, at Rose. "And who's this?"

Rose simply stared at her, unable to believe that this was her mother.

"What're _you_ looking at with your mouth open?" Jackie hissed.

"Your hair." Rose managed to say.

"What?!" Jackie glared at her.

"I've never seen it like-" Rose trailed off, stopping herself before she said something she shouldn't. Jackie stared at her, looking both confused and insulted. "I mean... it's lovely, your hair's lovely." Rose amended, hastily.

Rose spotted the baby, her eyes widening as she realised that it was _her_ in that cot, and took a few small steps towards it. "And that baby you're holding..." Jackie, glancing at Pete, held the baby to her protectively, completely nonplussed. "That would be... your baby..."

Jackie turned to Pete, looking exasperated. "Another one of yours, is she?"

"She saved my life!" Pete protested.

"Oh, that's a new one!" Jackie scoffed. "What was it _last_time?"

"I didn't even know her. She was a cloakroom attendant. I was helping her look for my ticket. There were three duffel coats all the same, somehow the rack collapsed. We were under all this stuff." Pete tried to explain in vain.

"Were you playing around?!" Rose asked Pete, shocked.

"What's it got to do with _you_what he gets up to?" Jackie snorted.

"What _does_he get up to?" Rose's voice rose, going all high-pitched.

Jackie looked at Rose with disdain. "_You'd_ know." She scoffed.

"Oh, 'cos I'm that stupid. I play around and then bring her home to meet the missus. You silly cow..." Pete shook his head in dismay.

"But you _are_that stupid." Jackie smirked.

"Can we keep this stuff back home? Just for now?" Pete asked, wearily.

"What," Jackie snorted. "With the rest of the rubbish?"

Rose's face fell more and more with every word that Jackie and Pete spoke.

"You bring home cut-priced detergents, tonic water, Betamax tape and _none_of it works, I'm _drowning_in your rubbish." Jackie snarled. She turned to Rose, raising an eyebrow. "What did he tell you? Did he say he's this big businessman, 'cos he's not. He's a failure. Born failure, that one. Rose needs a proper father-"

Pete started talking over her. "Jackie, I'm making a living, it keeps us fed, don't it?"

"Stop it!" Rose shrieked. They both stop talking, noticing that Rose looked distressed. "You're not like this… you _stress_ each other." She stressed.

"Oh, Pete." Jackie sounded almost sympathetic. "You never used to like them mental. Or I dunno, maybe you did."

"Jackie, wait, just listen-" Pete started to talk over her again.

"If you're not careful, there'll be a wedding and a divorce on the same day." And with that, Jackie walked away, carrying baby Rose, who had started to cry.

"Right, wait here. Give us a couple of minutes with the missus." Pete said to Rose. He began to walk away, then turned back again, taking the vase out of her hands and giving her the car keys. "Tell you what, straighten the car up. Stick her round the corner or something. Don't cause anymore trouble..."

He walked off, leaving Rose standing by the playground, tears in her eyes and feeling worse than ever.

* * *

Rose watched her mum and dad talk, quietly, to each other from a distance.

"I'm not listening. It's just the duffel coats all over again." Jackie said, her voice calmer that before, but brimming with hurt.

"Jackie, sometimes a duffel coat is just a duffel coat. Things will get better soon, I promise." Pete placed his hand on her shoulder, comfortingly.

Jackie shook her head. "I've had enough of all your daft schemes. I never know where the next meal's coming from."

"I'll get it right, love." Pete pleaded. "I promise, one day soon I'll get it right. Come on..."

Rose smiled, softly, as she watched them. At that moment, a little, dark-skinned boy ran around the corner.

"Monsters! Coming to eat us!" The boy shouted.

"What sort of monsters, sweetheart? Is it aliens?" One of the women asked and she and her friends started to laugh.

The little boy ran into the church, terrified. Rose watched him, carefully, taking him more seriously. Behind her, the Doctor and the Priestess ran around the corner.

"Rose!" The Doctor shouted.

Upon hearing his voice, Rose turned around and smiled at him in an arrogant and satisfied sort of way, making the Priestess bristle. However, she had to ignore the momentary anger in favour of more serious events that were happening. It wasn't as if she had forgiven Rose for what she had done, in fact, with the Reapers' appearance, she was all the more incensed that Rose hadn't stopped running the moment that the Doctor and her had shouted for her to stop. But there were innocent lives at stake. People who had no idea what was going on, who had no clue about how Time worked, would die, all because one girl had decided that her father should live when he was supposed to die.

"Get in the church!" The Priestess snapped, the anger having never left her voice, still thrumming under the surface.

Hearing the urgency in her voice, Rose's smile faded and was replaced with a disgruntled look. The Doctor and the Priestess looked to her left, Rose following their gaze, and before her eyes, a Reaper appeared, a large flying being with a sleek head, four arms that curved into hooks, mouth on its chest and dark brown, scaly skin. It bore down on her and she screamed in horror. The Priestess lunged and knocked her to the floor and out of the way, just in time. They both quickly scrambled to their feet.

"Get in the church!" The Priestess growled, tension burning inside her, and she pushed Rose in that direction.

The crowd outside the church tried to make a run for the door, but stopped still when another Reaper appeared before them.

"Oh, my God. What are they?" One of the women breathed.

The guests inside the church came out to see what the commotion was. Some of them screamed when they caught sight of the Reapers.

"Inside!" The Doctor shouted.

The Reaper bore down on them. The people who had just come out of the church tried to come out of the door and escape to safety.

The Doctor growled in exasperation. "Stay in there!" He warned.

A young man in a tuxedo stopped trying to get away. However, an older man next to him didn't listen to the Doctor and tried to make a run for it. The Reaper swooped down on him, covering his body with its wings. The bride, horrified by what she had just witnessed, tried to run into the church. The Reaper positioned itself before her, and she screamed. The Reaper, however, decided to go for the priest instead. The Doctor and the Priestess began to usher the guests in front of them.

"In!" They both shouted.

The Reaper swooped down again and attacked the church doors, but the Doctor and the Priestess managed to shut them just in time. The Reaper shrieked in fury.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all liked the chapter! I decided to go with a completely different Rose in this chapter. I didn't like her all that much in the first half of this episode. I think her pride got hit worse as the episode went along, but she seemed entirely too entitled during the first half of the episode. I think the Priestess was in a better place to object to Rose than the Doctor was. The Priestess has a special connection with Time, that's all I can say, and she feels these disturbances more keenly than the Doctor, which should be expanded on in the next chapter. I hope you liked the scenes between Rose and the Priestess. Rose is trying her hardest to convince herself that there's nothing romantic between the Doctor and the Priestess… but we know better, don't we? And Rose slapped the Priestess! The Doctor really wanted to kill her at that moment. I thought it would be interesting to have a Time Lady that completely objected to what Rose did. Poor Priestess.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!


	7. Father's Day: Isn't She Lovely

Dream Weaver – Chapter 7

A/N: Ok, I am so sorry about yesterday. I was meaning to update, but a lot of things just got away from me yesterday. Nothing serious, I just kind of forget. By the way, there is smut at the end of this chapter, so I'm bumping the rating of this to M, so a pre-warning!

Here's the finale to _Father's Day_. I hope you all like the chapter and I wonder what will happen once the Reaper gets inside the church ;) And we may even get some sexy times between the Doctor and the Priestess in this chapter ;)

Replies to Reviews:

NicoleR85: There will be more telling off of Rose in this chapter, but the Priestess might mellow out as the chapter goes.

masterdude94: I just thought the Doctor let her off easily for something that really offended him at the beginning. I'm not presuming to know more about time than a Time Lord, but all the crap 10 and 11 gave their companions compared to this episode really irked me and I don't believe the Priestess sees any difference between companions.

Guest: I'm not trying to explicitly bash Rose in this story. There may be some in Season 2, but it's my person opinion that her character deteriorated in Season 2 due to her feelings for the Doctor. I have nothing against Rose personally, in fact, I really liked her in Season 1. This episode sets a dangerous precedent where the Doctor lets Rose off much more easily than he does the other companions and I don't believe that's fair. Yes, I will admit I wanted Rose to have feelings for the Doctor, so I could develop the plot later on for Season 2 and the only way to do that was for the Priestess to hide their relationship from her. But I stand by my decision. It's my belief that certain things that Rose did in Season 1 and 2 were because she was in love with the Doctor and I wanted to keep those things pretty much the same, so I need Rose to have feelings for the Doctor. I am trying to tone down the Rose bashing. There won't be any until _Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways_. There will be some in Season 2, more because I just didn't like a lot of the things she did or said in that season. It seemed like such a huge contradiction to the original Rose that I can't help but point it out. If I do bash Rose, I'm trying to do it not pointlessly, but with a reason and in my opinion, the Priestess has both an objective and subjective standpoint. I'm sorry if that offends you or it puts you off this story, but thank you anyway for your review, it did make me second guess some of the things Rose says in the future and I have adjusted some of my writing.

AxidentlGoddess: Rose was impulsive in this episode, but I think she had a good reason. It's not her action that annoyed me in this episode, it was more of her attitude after it. Instead of accepting that she had done something wrong, she just kept justifying it. I'd like to think most people would save their father and act humble about it later on, after they had realised what they had done. I started to like her more and more in the later end of the episode, but she lost a lot of her plot in this story because she didn't actually do anything to save them from the situation. Pete was the one who decided to run in front of the car and he saved them. Rose just sort of stood there towards the end. But I'm so glad you like my writing in this story!

Warnings: Sexual situations in this chapter – please do not read that bit if it offends you. Sexually explicit language.

* * *

Father's Day: Isn't She Lovely

"_In!" They both shouted._

_The Reaper swooped down again and attacked the church doors, but the Doctor and the Priestess managed to shut them just in time. The Reaper shrieked in fury._

Once inside, the guests began to babble amongst each other in panic. The Doctor and the Priestess moved over to the window and observed the shadows of the Reapers outside the windows.

"They should not be able to get inside." The Priestess said, lowly.

The Doctor nodded. "Old windows and doors, right. The older something is, the stronger it is. What else?" They heard the Reapers screech from outside. He turned to the other guests, his voice rising. "Go and check the other doors! Move!"

He and the Priestess ran and pushed against a wooden door in the side of the church, closing it. Rose's mother ran after the strange couple.

"What's happening? What are they?" Jackie asked, panicking and grabbing the Doctor's arm to stop him. "What _are _they?"

"There has been an accident in time, a wound in time." The Priestess explained in a rush, annoyance rising in her. They didn't have time to answer all of these questions.

"They're like bacteria, taking advantage." The Doctor finished.

Jackie glared at him, thinking that they were some sort of mad people. "What do you mean, time? What're you jabbering on about, time?"

The Doctor scowled, irritated. "Oh, I might've known you'd argue. Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining-"

Jackie's eyes widened and she started to speak over him, both of their voices rising simultaneously. "How d'you know my name?" She asked, fearfully.

The Priestess growled and she looked at the Doctor. "We do _not_ have time for this. Literally."

"I've never met you in my life!" Jackie exclaimed.

The Doctor let out an exasperated sigh. "No, and you never will unless I sort this out. Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this… Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go. And. Check. The. Doors." He pointed in the direction of the doors, his voice loud and commanding.

Jackie stared at him, her eyes falling a bit in deference. "Yes, sir." She mumbled, meekly, and walked away.

The Doctor grinned at the Priestess, who rolled her eyes. "I should've done that _ages_ ago." He sighed.

The young man in the tuxedo, the groom, approached the Doctor and the Priestess. "My dad was out there."

The Doctor pursed his lips. "You can mourn him later, right now we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive."

"My dad had-" The groom continued.

The Priestess bit her lip. "I am sorry, but there is _nothing_ we can do for him."

"No." The groom shook his head. "But he had this phone thing. I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice..."

The Doctor grabbed the phone from him, dialled a random number and held the phone to his ear.

"Watson, come here, we need you. Watson, come here, we need you."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at the Priestess, who looked on, grimly.

"That's the very first phone-call, Alexander Graham Bell." The Doctor muttered, giving the phone back to the groom. "I don't think the telephone's gonna be much use." He grabbed the Priestess by the hand and they made to run off to check another door.

"But someone must call the police!" The groom called out after them.

"Police can't help you now. No-one can." The Doctor said, darkly, his eyes roving towards the ceiling of the church.

All of the guests, including Rose, turned to look at the two strangers and watched them with interest.

"_Nothing_ in this universe can harm a Reaper." The Priestess snapped, her head still aching. "Time has been damaged and they have come to sterilise the wound." She turned to look Rose in the eyes, her voice even. "By consuming _everything_ in sight."

Rose swallowed hard. "Is this because..." Her voice was shaky.

The Priestess and the Doctor looked at her, both of them cold in their fury.

"Is this my fault?" Rose whispered.

She didn't receive an answer from the Time Lords, just a straight look that said so much. They walked past her, not even glancing at her again. Pete looked from Rose to the Doctor and the Priestess, brows furrowed, then back down at baby Rose babbling happily and unconcerned in her carry tot.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess entered the church anteroom. Pete was checking that one of the doors were secure. The two Time Lords looked out of the window. Pete joined them, hesitantly.

"There's smoke coming up from the city but no sirens." Pete told them, urgently. "I-I don't think it's just us, I think these things are all over the place. Maybe the whole world."

But the Doctor and the Priestess didn't seem to be listening. They were staring in dismay out of the window. The car that should have killed Pete appeared out thin air, tyres screeching. It rounded the corner and the terrified driver threw a hand over his face as it disappeared again. The same event repeated itself in a loop. Both the Doctor and the Priestess closed their eyes, realising what it meant. Pete glanced out of the window, their faces sparking his curiousity.

"Was that a car?" He asked them.

The Doctor looked down at the Priestess.

_There is no reason to worry him. We might be able to fix this without Pete having to die._ The Priestess explained.

_I thought you were against it_. The Doctor said, confused.

She gave him a withering look. _While I am incredibly unimpressed and furious with what Rose did and despite the fact that I currently feel as though someone is smashing my head with a metal rod, I do not relish the thought of a man dying. Even if he is meant to die. But this is all dependent on whether we can fix this without altering what Rose changed. However, there is a chance, a much greater and more likely chance, that the only solution to this problem is to reset the timeline. Which means, Pete Tyler will die._ The Priestess said.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. He turned to Pete, realising that the man had been waiting for him to answer him. "It's not important. Don't worry about it." He grabbed the Priestess by the hand and they left the room, leaving Pete to stare out of the window.

* * *

Rose sat alone near the altar of the church, looking as though she had been crying, her eyes red and tear-tracks still on her cheek. Pete came in through a side door, with his hands in his pockets, wanting to have a word with her.

"These mates of yours..." Pete decided to change his train of thought. "What do you mean, this is your fault?"

"Dunno... just... everything." Rose's voice was filled with tears.

"I gave you my car keys." Pete said, suddenly. Rose gazed at him, her eyes bloodshot. "You don't give your keys to a complete stranger." Rose watched, silently, as Pete started to work it out. "It's... it's like I trusted you. Moment I met you, I just did. A wound in time..." Rose bit her lip. "You called me Dad. I can see it... my eyes... Jackie's attitude... you sound like her when you shout..." He reached out and touched her cheek, tentatively, wanting to gauge her reaction. Rose closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. He dropped his hand, but Rose took it into hers and held it back to her face. "You are." The shock and awe was clear in his voice. "You are... you're my Rose. You're my Rose grown up." He threw his arms around her in a show of unexplainable affection.

Losing all of her remaining self-control, Rose's tears began to flow all over again. "Dad... my Dad. My Daddy..." She mumbled into his shoulder.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess made their way around the entire church, checking every possible exit and securing them just to make sure. As soon as they were together again, the bride and the groom approached them, hesitantly.

"Excuse me! Mr and Mrs…" The groom began.

The Doctor didn't take his eyes off the door he was securing. "Doctor. And this is my… wife… the Priestess."

"You seem to know what's going on." The groom said.

The Priestess smirked, watching the Doctor check the lock. "Yes, he does seem to give that impression, doesn't he?"

"Oi, watch it!" The Doctor said, mock-warningly, pinching her on the hip, gently.

"I just wanted to ask-"

The bride cut over her husband-to-be. "Can you save us?" She asked, nervously.

The words stilled both the Doctor and the Priestess, getting to them in a way nothing else could. They turned to look at her, the Doctor turning his sonic screwdriver off. They walked towards them, observing the bride and the groom with curious eyes.

"Who are you two, then?" The Doctor asked.

"Stuart Hoskins." The groom said.

"Sarah Clarke." The bride replied.

"And one extra." The Doctor nodded at Sarah's obvious baby bump.

"Are you having a boy or a girl?" The Priestess asked, softly, a sense of sorrow overwhelming her at that very moment. The Doctor reached for her, both needing the comfort of each other's physical presence, as well as their mental presence. The Priestess' hand curled around the Doctor's bicep and she wrapped her other arm around his waist from behind, the Doctor's hand coming to cover hers on his hip.

Sarah ran her hands over her bump, smiling a little. "I don't know. I don't want to know, really."

"It is always nice." The Priestess said, lowly. "Not knowing right until the end. The surprise is nice." She said, wistfully.

The Doctor shifted, his hand tightening on the Priestess'. "How did all this get started?" He motioned to each other.

Sarah glanced at Stuart.

"Outside the Big Box Club. Two in the morning." Stuart replied.

"Street corner. I'd lost my purse. Didn't have money for a taxi." Sarah said.

"I took her home."

"Then what? Asked her for a date?" The Doctor asked, curiously.

"Wrote his number on the back of my hand."

Stuart started to smile more. "Never got rid of her since. My dad said-" His voice faltered and Sarah's lip trembled. The Reapers screeched outside.

"I don't know what this is all about." Sarah's voice was tearful. "And I know _we're _not important..."

The Doctor's eyes widened, genuinely shocked by what Sarah had just said. "Who said you're not important?"

Sarah looked back at him, tears in her eyes.

"I've travelled to all sorts of places. Done things you couldn't even imagine, but... you two... street corner. Two in the morning. Getting a taxi home." His voice broke off. He looked down at the Priestess, fondly, who smiled up at him. "Almost like a little boy who tripped and fell at the feet of the most beautiful little girl he had ever seen." He grinned at her.

"And the little girl who marched the most beautiful little boy she had ever seen over to the Healers." The Priestess finished, softly, remembering that shy little girl who had been so in love with Theta Sigma the minute she had looked down and seen him looking up at her with such awe in his eyes.

The Doctor broke his gaze from the Priestess, reluctantly, both of her arms sliding around his waist. "We haven't had a life like that in a very long time." He sighed, mournfully. "Yes." He smiled at the couple. "We'll try and save you."

Sarah smiled at him, thankfully, through her tears.

* * *

Rose sat in a side room with her father. She sniffed, still a little overwhelmed by the day's events.

Pete looked as though he was still trying to get his head around all of it. "I'm a dad. I mean, I'm already a dad," He amended. "But... Rose grows up, and she's you. That's wonderful. I suppose I thought that you'd be a bit… useless… what, with my useless genes and all, but..." Pete trailed off, making Rose gulp out a laugh. He stared at her, completely fascinated. "How did you get here?"

"Do you really wanna know?" Rose asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah!"

"A time machine."

Pete stared at her. "Time machine." He said after a stunned pause.

Rose smiled. "Cross my heart."

Pete began to smile as well. "What, do they all have time machines where you come from?"

"Nah, just the Doctor." Rose shook her head.

"Did you know these things were coming?"

Rose paused. "No."

"God, I dunno, my head's spinning." Pete said, shaking his head. Rose looked down. "What's the future like?"

Rose shrugged. "It's not so different." _Except you're dead_.

"What am Ilike? Have I gone grey?" Pete laughed. However, Rose didn't answer the question, simply watching him carefully. Pete's smile faded, slightly. "Have I gone bald? Don't tell me I've gone bald." Rose still didn't answer. Pete cleared his throat, not wanting to dig any deeper. "So, if this mate of yours isn't your boyfriend, and I have to say, I'm glad because being your dad and all, I think he's a bit old for you..." Rose laughed. "Have you got a bloke?"

"No," Rose shook her head. "I did have-"

Suddenly, there was the sound of running and Jackie's voice rang through the room.

"Mickey!" Jackie shouted.

A young dark-skinned boy ran up to Rose and threw his arms around her legs, eyes tight shut.

"Do you know him?" Pete asked her.

"I just didn't recognise him in a suit… you'll have to let go of me, sweetheart..." Rose said to Mickey, gently. Mickey, reluctantly, pulled away from her and returned to Jackie, who had now joined them. "I'm always saying that..." She muttered, under her breath, to herself.

Jackie put her arms around the little boy's shoulders. "He just grabs hold of what's passing and holds on for dear life. God help his poor girlfriend if he ever gets one."

"Me and Rose were just talking..." Pete said, hurriedly.

"Oh, yeah?" Jackie raised an eyebrow. "Talking? While the world comes to an end, what do you do? Cling to the youngest blonde." She said, scathingly. Rose looked upset but remained silent. "Come on, Mick." She took the little boy's hand and led him away.

Pete made to follow her and explain to her exactly who Rose was, but Rose grabbed his arm to stop him. "You can't tell her." She said, quickly.

"Why?" Pete asked, confused.

"I mean... I really don't _want _you to tell her."

"What, do you don't want people to know?"

Rose sighed. "Where I come from, Jackie doesn't know how to work the timer on the video recorder."

Pete grinned. "I showed her that last week." Rose raised an eyebrow. The grin fell from his face. "Point taken."

* * *

The Doctor was talking to baby Rose in the carry tot, while the Priestess watched in amusement.

"Now, Rose... you're not gonna bring about the end of the world, are you?" The Doctor's voice was stern. "Are you?"

Baby Rose stared innocently up at him.

The Priestess smiled. "Stop scolding the baby, Doctor. What is she to do about her older self's lack of judgement?" She said, loudly, just as the 19-year-old Rose joined them.

The Doctor glanced up at Rose, disgruntled. "Jackie gave her to me to look after. How times change." He grumbled.

Rose's voice was tearful, but she attempted to make light-hearted conversation. "I'd better be careful. I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken."

Rose's hand reached out and was just about to touch the baby, when the Priestess' hand lashed out, grabbed Rose's arm by the wrist and held it as far away from the baby as the appendage could stretch.

"No." The Doctor snapped. "Don't touch the baby."

"It's called the Blinovitch Limitation Effect. If you touch yourself, it results in an energy release that would cause the temporal differential to short out and _that_ would have unfortunate consequences. And you have crossed your own timeline enough today." The Priestess hissed, her nails digging into Rose's wrist, painfully.

"You're both the same person and that's a paradox, and we don't want a paradox happening. Not with these things outside. Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. The paradox might let them in." The Doctor growled.

"Can't do anything right, can I?" Rose whispered.

The Doctor glared at her. "Since you ask, no. So. Don't. Touch. The. Baby." He said, slowly, as if he were speaking to a dimwit.

Rose narrowed her eyes, immediately offended by his tone. "I'm not stupid."

"Are you sure?" The Priestess snapped.

Rose recoiled, stung, and huffed, spinning on her heel and walking away, towards her father.

The Priestess softened, slightly, watching the young girl walk away. "Perhaps we were a bit too harsh." She said, softly, to the Doctor.

The Doctor shook his head. "I think we hit just the spot." He grumbled.

"But we would not have left her here on her own, Doctor." She said, sternly. "That would be beyond irresponsible and hurtful."

"Okay, fine, I was just angry." The Doctor amended. "Saw that cut on your cheek and snapped."

"Yes, I thought so." The Priestess reached out and took his hand in hers.

"Can I be completely honest?" The Doctor asked, leaning into her, already knowing the answer. He had always felt comfortable with her in a way that he hadn't with others. She had never judged him, not once.

"Of course." She said, softly.

"I haven't got a plan. No idea." He said, hoarsely. The Priestess stroked his jaw. "No way out." He whispered.

"We will think of something." However, with every growing second, she was beginning to lose hope.

"The entire Earth is being sterilised. This and other places like it are all that's left of the human race. We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures." The Doctor pointed out. He looked over at the shadows circling the church. "They'll get through in the end. The walls aren't that old. And there's nothing we can do to stop them." He looked down at her in his arms. "I'm sorry, I mean, this is all my fault."

"What do you mean?" The Priestess frowned.

"You told me not to take Rose a second time. I should've listened to you. I thought she wouldn't do something like this." He muttered, feeling the urge to hang his head. "I should never have gone against the Law."

"The Time Lords would have stopped something like this." The Priestess said, wistfully.

"But, they're all gone." The Doctor finished, his voice low and pained. "And now, we're going the same way."

The Priestess scowled and stood up, turning to face him. "I do not plan on giving up just yet, Doctor." Her voice softened. "We will find a way."

The Doctor had to grin at her renewed sense of hope. He reached up, cupping a large, calloused hand around one side of her face. Then, he pulled her in for a hug, practically enveloping her small frame in his much wider one, his leather jacket almost swallowing her whole. She sank, gratefully, into his embrace, nuzzling into the wool of her jumper, tasting the scent of him on the air. She felt their minds drown in each other, each other's presence soothing their hurts and worries and hesitations and doubts, content with the somewhat hope they had and the last resort of at least having the chance to die, side by side, which they had not been given before.

After a few moments, the Priestess frowned against the exposed skin of his collarbone and pulled away, narrowing her eyes at the leather jacket he was wearing.

"Hot. You are hot." She said, lowly.

The Doctor grinned at her. "Oh, I know."

"Hush." She scolded, half-heartedly, a smile playing on her lips at his inopportune flirting. "There is something hot in your jacket." She explained, hearing a minute sizzling sound coming from the jacket's vicinity. She slid her hand underneath the jacket and into the pocket, taking the TARDIS key the Doctor had snatched from Rose earlier out. When the burning glow from the metal began to singe her fingertips, she hissed in pain and dropped the key.

"It's the TARDIS key!" The Doctor exclaimed, staring at the brightly burning key with something akin to optimism for the first time since they had come to 1987. He shrugged off his jacket and used it like an oven mitt to pick up the hot key. "It's telling us it's still connected to the TARDIS!"

The Doctor turned to look at the beaming woman beside him, kissing her quickly on the side of her mouth. "You're fantastic, d'you know that?"

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess were addressing the remaining guests who were gathered on the chairs, listening to him.

The Doctor held up the key. "The inside of our ship was thrown out of a wound but we can use _this _to bring it back. And once we've got our ship back, then we can mend everything. Now, we just need a bit of power."

The Priestess looked around, quickly. "Does anyone have a battery?"

Stuart noticed his father's phone sitting on the chair in front of him. He jumped up and held it up to show the Doctor and the Priestess.

"This one big enough?" He asked them.

The Doctor and the Priestess hurried over to then. They exchanged a meaningful glance, so many words passing between them through that one look. "Fantastic." The Doctor breathed in relief.

"Good old Dad." Stuart agreed and handed over the phone to the Doctor. "There you go."

"Just need to do a bit of charging up..." The Doctor pressed the tip of the sonic screwdriver to the battery, the blue light humming in the air. "And then we can bring everyone back."

The Doctor glanced around the church, worriedly, as he charged the battery up, clad in only his murky green jumper. Jackie looked, warily, around at each of the doors, which were shaking as the Reapers threw their weights against them.

* * *

Rose and Pete now sat down near the back of the church.

"You, um... you never said why you came here in the first place. If I had a time machine, I wouldn't have thought 1987 was anything special. Not round here, anyway." Pete said, worriedly.

"We just ended up here." Rose shrugged, dreading creeping upon her.

"Lucky for me, eh?" Pete cracked a smile. "If you hadn't been there to save me..."

"That was just a co-incidence." Rose said, quickly. "That was just... _really _good luck. It's amazing..."

Pete looked as though he didn't believe what she was saying. There was a slight, awkward pause. "So, in the future, are me and her indoors still together?"

Rose looked at him, carefully, knowing what answer he wanted from her and what answer she wanted to give him. "Yeah."

"Are you still living with us?" Pete asked.

Rose swallowed hard, the tears returning to her eyes. "Yep!" She said, hoarsely, feigning a smile.

Pete nodded and smiled. He looked at her intensely for a few moments and started to ask her a question, sounding as though he had wanted to ask her this particular question ever since he had found out that she was his daughter. "Am I a good dad?" He asked, finally.

Rose trembled, not finding it in her heart to tell him the truth. She clenched her fists against her sides to regain some semblance of self-control. "You... you told me a bedtime story every night when I was small. You were always there... you never missed one." She smiled at him, trying to give him the impression she was reminiscing on happier times. "And um... you took us for picnics in the country every Saturday. You never let us down. You were there for us all the time." Pete listened to her, intently. "Someone I could really rely on."

They were both silent for a few minutes.

"That's not me." Pete said with a heavy heart.

Rose stopped smiling. She looked to the front of the church, where the TARDIS finally started to materialise, the key jammed in the lock on the front doors. The Doctor put his jacket back on, happily, and grinned at the Priestess, who beamed in excitement and relief. They ran back up the steps to the pulpit to address the guests.

"Right, no-one touches that key. Have you got that? Don't touch it." He said, sternly. "Anyone touches that key, it'll be, well, ZAP_. _Just leave it be and everything will be fine. We'll get out of here. All of us." The Doctor finished, practically bouncing on his feet.

"Stuart, Sarah, I promise you… you will get married today, just like we told you." The Priestess smiled, encouragingly, over at the bride and groom.

* * *

The TARDIS was materialising in front of the altar, slowly but surely. Everyone was sitting, impatiently, waiting for it to appear fully. The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose sat side by side at the back of the church, Pete on a seat behind them. Jackie cast the foursome a contemptuous glance over her shoulder.

"When time gets sorted out..." Rose muttered to the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Everyone here will forget what happened." The Priestess murmured, her arms crossed over her chest, not taking her eyes off the TARDIS.

"And don't worry," The Doctor said just a bit snidely. "The thing that you changed will stay changed."

"You mean I'll still be alive." Pete said, suddenly, from behind them. Rose turned around in her chair to face him, her face a picture of shock. "Though I'm meant to be dead." Rose stared at him without speaking, her mouth slightly open. Pete nodded, taking her silence as agreement. "That's why I haven't done anything with my life. Why I didn't _mean _anything."

"It doesn't work like that." The Doctor snapped.

"Rubbish." Pete scoffed. "I'm so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all of this has happened."

"I disagree." The Priestess muttered to the Doctor, who cracked a smile.

Rose reached over suddenly and put a hand on her father's arm. "This is _my _fault."

"No, love." Pete said, shaking his head, sadly. "I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault."

"He's not a bad guy, you've gotta give him that." The Doctor muttered to the Priestess.

_My love, I have absolutely no issue with Pete Tyler. My issue remains with his daughter._ The Priestess told him, dryly.

Suddenly, Jackie appeared before the father and daughter. "Her dad? How are you her dad? How old were you, twelve?" She spat, her voice incredulous and horrified.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and held out a hand for the Priestess, the two of them distancing themselves from the family drama.

"Are all human families this complicated?" The Priestess asked, innocently.

The Doctor snorted. "Yes." He said, sarcastically.

"Oh, that's _disgusting_." Jackie snarled.

Pete stood up. "Jacks, listen." He said, urgently. "This is Rose."

Jackie's voice was low, but it spilled anger and vitriol. "Rose? How sick is that?" She hissed. "You give my daughter a second hand name? How many are there? Do you call them _all _Rose?" She asked, half betrayed and half furious.

"Oh, for God's sake, look!" Pete snarled. "It's the _same _Rose!" He took baby Rose from Jackie's arms and placed her in Rose's, trying to show Jackie the similarity between the two.

The Doctor's and the Priestess' eyes widened and they started towards the small family, but they were too late.

"Rose! No!" They shouted at the same time, terror rising in their blood.

They were too late, when the Priestess pulled baby Rose from older Rose's arms and placed her back in Jackie's arms. They spun on their feet and stared in horror, as a Reaper appeared in the middle of the church. All of the guests screamed and leaped to their feet.

"Everyone! Behind us!" The Doctor shouted.

Everyone gathered behind the Doctor and the Priestess, the two of them ushering everyone behind them. The Reaper screeched, menacingly, and spread its wings. The Doctor clenched his fists, which were at his side, and stared at the Reaper.

"I'm the oldest thing in here." The Doctor said, warningly.

The Priestess swallowed hard, staring at the Doctor with trepidation and horror. The Reaper started to bear down on him, when she made a split second, selfish decision. She raced forwards, stunned at her new body's ability to run fast in high heels, and she shoved him to the side, watching the Reaper cover her with equal amounts of terror and resignation.

"NO!" The Doctor shouted and watched, horrified, as the Reaper devoured the only shining light in his dark and dreary life. The only person that made everything better. The only person who knew everything he was, everything he'd done and everything he would have done, and had accepted him completely. It hurt all the more this time around, after finding her alive and losing her all over again. He couldn't help but hate her for this. He had never expected this sacrifice from her. His Bondmate. And she was dead.

The other guests screamed, watching the horrific sight in front of them. The Reaper swooped around the church and then collided with the semi-transparent TARDIS, the Doctor watching with gritted teeth and a feeling of hopelessness, and disappeared, along with the TARDIS. They fell to the floor from the lock, no longer glowing and cold as ice. There was absolute silence for a few seconds and then the Doctor strode down the aisle and picked up the key with trembling fingers.

"It's cold." He muttered, feeling that inside of him at that very moment. He felt cold inside, practically icy. Just like he had felt before he had gone to Van Statten's museum. He didn't think he could ever feel worse than what he had felt like before Van Statten's museum. But he did now. It was all he could not to break into pieces, right there in front of the altar. And he knew he would… eventually. It wasn't in the nature of his people to live without their Bondmates. He didn't know how he had managed it before, he had taken life without her as his penance for his crimes. And now… it was all he could do not to throw open the doors and let the Reapers devour him as well.

"Doctor." Rose placed a soft hand on his shoulder, her gesture hesitant and an attempted comfort, which he shrugged off, angrily.

"Your fault." He snapped. "If you had just listened..." He trailed off and sank into one of the seats next to the aisle, burying his face in his hands. _She's gone. She's gone. She's gone_. His mind felt empty, that soul-crushing loneliness threatening to envelop him completely. He wanted to reach out for the Priestess' mind, when all of those little voices in his head spat out that she was dead.

"It's all my fault... all of you... both of you..." Rose's voice began to crack as the impact of her actions finally hit her in the gut. She looked at the forlorn Doctor sitting on a chair and realised with horror that she had just been the cause behind him being the last of his people all over again. Pete reached for her and took her into his arms. "... the whole world..."

The light in the church dimmed as though a cloud had passed over the sun, but the people in the church took it as an omen that the end was approaching. Jackie held baby Rose closer to her, and the guests looked around, scared.

"This is it. There's nothing we can do. It's the end." A woman murmured.

* * *

Pete looked out of the window in the church anteroom and narrowed his eyes at the car that was currently driving in a loop. As he watched the car go through the loop twice with his brow furrowed, revelation dawned in his eyes and he stared at the car with a new gut-wrenching dread, realising what he would have to do. He breathed, heavily, shaking slightly.

* * *

Rose was sitting on her own in the dark church, constantly feeding herself spoonfuls of guilt and shame, glancing every now and then at the leather-clad, stoic figure in the chair that hadn't moved since the Priestess had been devoured by the Reaper. Pete approached Rose, carrying his jacket.

"The Doctor and the Priestess must really care about you..." Rose looked up at him, questioningly. "They didn't want you to go through it again if there was another way. Now there isn't."

Rose started to stand. "What're you talking about?"

Pete put his jacket back on, steeling himself for what he was about to do. "The car that should've killed me, love. It's here. The Doctor and the Priestess worked it out way back, but they, er, they tried to protect me." Rose just looked at him, her eyes filling with tears. "Still, don't think the Doctor's in charge anymore. I am."

"But you can't..." Rose's voice broke off in tears.

Pete reached out and stroked Rose's face, gently. "Who am I, love?"

"My daddy." Rose sobbed out.

Jackie approached her, her eyes wide.

"Jackie... look at her. She's ours." Pete said, earnestly.

Jackie looked at Rose, her eyes widening as the truth dawned upon her. Rose looked back, tearful, aching for her mother's comforting embrace.

"Oh, God..." Jackie whispered and threw her arms around Rose, her eyes shut, tightly. When she let go, she looked up at Pete, questioningly, sensing there was something wrong.

"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie. You're gonna get rid of me at last." Pete joked, half-heartedly.

"Don't say that." Jackie choked out, just managing to hold back her tears.

"For once in your life, trust me." Pete said, gently. "It's got be done. You've got to survive, because you've got to bring up our daughter." He gestured to Rose, and pulled Jackie in for one last kiss, the two of them saying everything that needed to be said in that one gesture of affection. He turned to Rose and sighed. "I never read you those bedtime stories. I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you."

"You would've been." The tears dripped down Rose's cheek and onto her clothes, but she didn't dare take her eyes off her father for a second, knowing this was her last chance with him.

"But I can do this for you. I can be a proper dad to you now."

"But it's not fair." Rose whispered.

Pete smiled, softly, at his daughter. "I've had all these extra hours. No-one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that... I get to see you." He took her face in his hands and ran his eyes over her once, committing the image of her face to his memory. "And you're beautiful." Rose shook with the force of her sobs. "How lucky am I, eh? So, come on... do as your dad says."

Slowly, tears still flowing like waterfalls, and without looking at him, Rose handed him the vase, which was sitting on a nearby chair.

"Are you going to be there for me, love?" Pete asked, nervously, his voice tinged with fear and hope. Rose nodded. Pete put a heavy hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Thanks for saving me." He said, lightly.

He pulled his wife and daughter in for one last, tight embrace. Rose screwed up her eyes, tears squeezing out, and buried her face in his shoulder.

* * *

The Reapers were still clamouring outside the church, when Pete ran out of the door, clutching the vase. He stopped just outside the gate and looked up at one of the Reapers as it began to bear down on him. He turned to his left to see the car appear out of thin air around the corner and ran straight out in front of it, screwing his eyes up before the car hit him.

"Goodbye, love..."

The driver threw his hand over his eyes as the car careened into Pete, knocking him over. The vase crashed to the ground and broke into dozens of pieces. The Reapers curled into themselves and disappeared one by one. Rose stood right outside the church doors, her head down and her eyes closed, taking deep breathes in the slight breeze. The Priestess came up behind her, her eyes warm, and looked at her for a few moments before placing her hand on her shoulder. Rose turned to look at her.

"This is your last chance, Rose." The Priestess said, gently, but her voice was firm. "Go to him. Quickly."

Rose ran out of the church gates, down the road, and knelt beside her dying father. She held his hand and lifted his head onto her lap. They stared into each others' eyes, Rose fighting the urge to cry, as he took his last breath, the remnants of a smile on his face. Finally, his eyes closed and his head fell back, his mouth slightly open. Rose lowered his head, gently, back onto the ground. Stuart and Sarah, Stuart's father, Jackie and the rest of the guests emerged from the church, trying to see what had happened.

* * *

"The driver was just a kid." Jackie murmured. "He stopped. He waited for the police. It wasn't his fault. For some reason, Pete just ran out." She paused and took a deep breath. "People say there was this girl... and she sat with Pete while he was dying. And she held his hand. Then she was gone. Never found out who she was."

A young, toddler Rose looked up, curiously, at her mother.

* * *

Rose placed a kiss on her father's forehead. She stood up, and after looking down at him for a few moments, raised her head to find the Priestess buried in the Doctor's arms, his arms locking tight around her. She went over to them and they broke apart, the Doctor's eyes suspiciously wet.

"Peter Alan Tyler, my Dad. The most wonderful man in the world. Died the 7th of November, 1987."

The Priestess took Rose's hand and the three walked, slowly, back to the TARDIS, together.

* * *

It was late in the Powell Estate when they dropped Rose off at her mother's. They sensed that maybe she needed her mother right now, especially after watching her father die in front of her twice. Not to mention, they needed some alone time.

The Doctor closed the TARDIS doors behind him and strode up the ramp, joining the Priestess, who was currently tweaking some of the settings on the console. The Doctor simply stood behind her, watching her, for a few seconds, until she bothered to turn around, gifting him with a winning smile. The Doctor held out his arms and she slid into the embrace, all soft curves against his hard lines. He dimly registered the thought that she fit him like a puzzle piece. He looked down and saw her thin, feminine fingers clutching onto the lapels of his jacket like a lifeline.

The memory of what it felt like to lose her for a second time crushed him under its weight and she whimpered in his arms, feeling the undercurrents in her own mind. The Doctor growled, his chest rumbling against her ear.

"Mine." He swore and crushed his lips against hers. She moaned against his mouth and her fingers tightened around his jacket. The Doctor groaned. "You taste like Gallifrey. Like home." He murmured against her lips.

The Priestess smiled against his mouth, her fingers stroking his jaw. "You are home, my love." She crooned. "This is home for both of us."

His hands fell to her waist, lifting her, cleanly, off the floor, her legs curling around his waist. She looked up at him, inquisitively, slightly stunned by the sudden action. He didn't dare take his eyes off her, lest she disappear on him, as he carried her out of the console room and into their bedroom, the two of them falling onto the bed.

The Priestess' eyes grew warm and dark and her arms reached for him, pulling him against her. Her lips dragged across his cheek and she pressed her mouth against his, firmly, teasing her Bondmate's lips apart as her tongue sought entry, desperate for him in a way she didn't think was possible. Perhaps it was defying death numerous times today or because the Doctor had been forced to watch a Reaper consume the woman he loved beyond anything else in the universe, but they ached for each other with an all-consuming desperation that either of them hadn't experienced for such a long time.

The Doctor's rough, calloused hand twisted in her long brown locks, encouraged by her breathy sighs and frantic whimpers. She melted against him and their hips ground against each others', surrendering to a lust that should have been satisfied the moment the Doctor had found the Priestess again.

The Priestess, reluctantly, broke away from him. "Is there something wrong, beloved?" She asked, gently, one finger stroking a line down the side of his face.

The Doctor's lips moved down from hers, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, until he reached the juncture between her neck and shoulder and he bit down, harshly, purposefully leaving a mark. He smirked against her skin when she arched her back, pressing against him, sobbing out a Gallifreyan expletive. He loved making his normally cool and composed Bondmate break into a million little pieces for him.

"You died." He muttered against her slightly warm skin. "You died and I was alone again."

"Oh, beloved." She murmured, her nails scraping across the top of his head, as his forehead rested against hers.

The hand that had snaked around her hip slid up until it was palming one of her breasts and he started to kiss her all over again. Within moments, the two of them could feel every nook and cranny of their hormones, which scented the air. Her mouth watered from the salty tang of his skin, he could practically taste the lingering scent of the perfume she wore on his tongue, their arousal filling the air. The Priestess buried herself in his shoulder, both of them thinking that the thrumming sound of their double heartbeat was the most soothing sound in the universe. The Doctor inhaled, deeply, his nostrils flared as he took into account every inch of the hormones currently affecting the Priestess' mind.

But she wasn't like some stupid ape. His Annika. She was his goddess. His Dream Girl. His TARDIS' Sister and Time's Prophet. Her mind practically sang with the power that her dreams burned with. She was everything and more. She could bring him back to life with just one soul-singeing touch, entwining herself in his timeline until he didn't know how he had ever made it eight years without knowing her and centuries thinking she was dead. By right, he should have died then.

The Doctor slid down her body, slightly, considering the noticeable height difference between them. His hands fell onto her exposed legs, curling around the hem of her skirt and sliding up the material, revealing silky, unblemished toffee-coloured skin. He looked up at her to see her elbows digging into the bed on either side of her and her dark, lustful eyes watching him, appraisingly. He growled, encouraged by her eyes, and unzipped the skirt at the side, yanking it off in one go, leaving her clad in a white shirt and a scrap of light blue lace that was considered beyond indecent.

"My love, this is not the time for teasing." The Priestess rasped, her thighs sliding against each other for some sort of friction.

"Sorry." The Doctor said, not really meaning it, and slid up her body, his hands falling to the edges of her white shirt. He dragged the offending piece of clothing upwards and tossed it aside the moment it parted from her body, leaving her matching blue lace. He gazed down at her in wonder, having never seen this body this naked before. She was gorgeous. All dark and soft and the image of chocolate came to mind and the urge to sink his teeth into her reared its head. Her hair fanned out around her head against the pillow and she gave him a slow, seductive smile, one that sent his hearts beating into overdrive.

"I believe there is a great deal of unfairness between us, Theta Sigma." She curled her tongue around the syllables of the name he had chosen during their Academy days.

He resisted the urge to shudder. It had been so long since someone had said that name out loud that he had almost forgotten what it felt like to hear her say it. She knew his real name, of course, he had told her on their First Night, the two of them warm and satisfied and sore in each other arms. But she had always held a special place in her hearts for the name that she had fallen in love with. Just like he knew her real name, but he loved to call her Annika or a variation of the name, it was the name he had first known her by. It was the name he had in mind when he had kissed her for the first time, confessed his love for her for the first time and made love to her for the first time.

"What's so unfair, then?" The Doctor asked, his voice light.

"Here I am, lying almost naked, while you still have all of your clothes on." She said, with a long suffering sigh.

Her hands slid under his leather jacket and wrenched the irritating garment off and she smiled when she heard it hit the ground. Her hands cupped the back of his neck, her thumbs stroking against his jaw line, and she tugged him down to slant her mouth against his all over again. His hands slid down her torso until they reached her hips and then they moved under body, reaching up her back until they touched the strap of her bra. He, quickly, undid the hooks and tossed the bra aside with a look of triumph, leaving her only in lace underwear. His eyes, hungrily, gazed over every inch of exposed flesh, and she bit back a moan when his hands cupped her modest-sized breasts, his thumbs grazing against her nipples, hardening them into painful points. He scowled when he saw and felt her trying to hold back.

"Don't you dare." He growled. "I want to hear every sound that escapes those gorgeous lips of yours."

Her hands, which had curled around his hip, slid up the wool of his green jumper, stroking against the muscles on his stomach, and tugged at the jumper, impatiently.

"Off, now." She demanded.

"Bossy little thing in this body, aren't you?" The Doctor smirked.

"Now." She hissed and the Doctor had to admit that his cock twitched at her authoritative tone.

The Doctor sighed and her determined fingers dug into the hem of his jumper and she slid it up, impatiently, and off his body, throwing it against the wall without a second glance. Her feet slid up his trousers and hooked around the back of his knees and, with a show of strength that surprised him, she used the momentum to swap their places, pushing him down onto the bed and straddling his hips.

She hummed, her nails raking across his bare, muscled chest. "Now we are the same." She gazed upon every inch of exposed skin with relish and hunger. Her hands skimmed his broad shoulders and pressed a line of kisses down his muscled chest, stopping at the end of his stomach, wanting nothing more than to explore him for an indefinite amount of time, but needing the urgency of him making love to her now.

She shifted slightly on top of him, making him gasp out a breath as she ground against a very noticeably hard part of him. His hands slipped from her waist up her stomach until he was cupping her breasts, making her arch her back. She wanted, no, needed more contact. He was stunned by the sight of her enticingly plump breasts and flicked at her tight nipples, making her whimper. Her nails dragged down his chest until they fell onto his belt, undoing the buckle, impatiently, and yanking it out of his trousers and throwing it off the bed. She undid the buttons and, with his help, they managed to slide it down his muscled legs.

The Doctor's hands curled around her waist and he, momentarily, lifted her off him and moved so that he was back on top. Her legs spread slightly and his thigh eased between hers, grinding his hard length against the soft flesh between her thighs.

"Theta." Her voice broke off as a moan. "Oh, please don't tease me."

"I don't have time." The Doctor muttered against the sensitive skin of her stomach.

"For what?"

"To explore you completely. Some other time, maybe. Right now, I need to be inside you." He growled.

"I never thought I would have this again." She sobbed out.

The Doctor softened and his grinding halted, slightly, but he continued to move against her, driving her up the peak. "Well, you can, love. Any time you want."

"We are-"

"Fantastic." The Doctor growled. "Bloody fantastic. And I'm gonna spend the rest of the night proving that we are, love." Each word he spoke was accompanied by a slow, deliberate rock of his hips. "You're mine, 'Nika. My Bondmate. My Dream Girl. My everything. No one ever gets to see you like this. Think I'm kinda possessive in this regeneration."

"Who would see me like this?" The Priestess asked, confused. "I do not know many men, my love."

The Doctor chuckled. "Remember that."

One of her legs slid up his and hooked around his waist. She was shaking with every thrust of his hips against hers. "Tell me what you want, 'Nika, and I'll give it to you."

"You." She cried out, her nails digging into his shoulders. "Only you, I swear."

"That's my girl." The Doctor rumbled, as she pressed frantic kisses against his neck and jaw line.

"Theta… I am almost there, please do not stop." She sobbed out, feeling every sharp spike of pleasure, her fingers curling around nothing.

"You're so beautiful." The Doctor's voice was awed as he watched her in the throes of pleasure. "Do you have any idea how many times I've imagined this, love? How you feel, how you taste. Ever since I found you again, I've been waiting for this moment since you kissed me in the Med-Bay. I've had your taste on my lips since then."

"We should not have waited. We should have done this right then and there." She moaned, remembering the all-consuming urge she had shoved down inside her that night after waking from her healing coma. She cursed herself for not making the first move that night.

"No, love, this is perfect." He said, soothingly, seeing the turn her thoughts had taken through their connection and wanting to reassure her. "See. We're together and no one's going to end that, I promise." He said it with such finality that she had no other option than to drag his mouth back to hers and kiss him, happily.

"More." She demanded, writhing against him with wanton abandon.

The Doctor chuckled in agreement and hooked two fingers on either side of the scrap of lace the Priestess was wearing as underwear. He dragged the sodden fabric down her legs and threw it away, spreading her thighs wide open for his gaze, dark eyes running over the damp flesh between her legs. He hooked his arms under her thighs and rocked back on his heels, taking a kneeling position on the bed instead. He spread her legs wider and pulled her hips into his lap, her cunt lying exposed for him. He groaned as the spicy scent of her rose in the air and the urge to taste it on his lips was too great. His head moved down and his tongue swiped the whole length of her cunt, groaning at the taste of her wetness. His tongue laved across the sensitive and soft flesh, her hands grasping his shoulders as her thighs trembled.

The words that spilled from her mouth were a mixture of Gallifreyan profanity and other unintelligible words from the billions of languages she knew. Her head was thrown back, the long line of her throat exposed. One particularly insistent lick sent her spiralling into darkness, her nails fighting the urge to scratch at her skin, needing something to hold onto. His arm curved around one of her thighs and pressed down on her stomach, keeping her hips pinned down. Finally, it was when he flicked at the bundle of nerves in her folds at the correct moment with his tongue that her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she shattered into a million little pieces around him, thrashing in every direction.

She sank back against the pillow, exhausted, and the Doctor slid up her body, a triumphant and pleased look on his face, and he kissed her hard on the mouth, the Priestess licking her lips at her own taste on his lips. Her hand slid down his stomach and rested on his hips, tugging down his boxers, impatiently, removing the last barrier that had been between them. When the Doctor slotted his hips against hers this time, she ground the sensitive bundle of nerves against his hard length. A wicked idea occurred to her and she took her place back on top of her, sliding down his body until her mouth was level with his length, her nose grazing his muscled stomach. The Doctor's head fell back when the heat of her mouth closed around him, and he almost lost it like a teenage human boy, when she hollowed out her cheeks and the pressure of her sucking increased.

"Oh… _fuck_," The English expletive fell from his lips and made the Priestess rub her thighs together for relief, a sharp spark of pleasure going straight between her thighs. "I forgot how good you are at this." He muttered and a string of incoherent pleas and praises were drawn from him. When he felt the familiar beginnings of a tightening sensation in his groin, he gritted his teeth and hauled the Priestess back up by her shoulders, tipping her to the side and covering her small frame with his much broader body.

He pressed a series of desperate kisses to her mouth. "My lovely girl. I adore you." He muttered, making her laugh, brightly.

She cupped his face in her hand and tilted his head up to look at her. "I am tired of waiting, my love, I need you to be inside of me."

"Impatient, are we?" He asked, smugly.

"I have waited enough time for you again, beloved." She murmured and kissed him on the forehead.

"Yeah, me too." He said, softly. He hooked his arms under her thighs and spread her legs out from under him, his hard length pressing, insistently, against her cunt. One of his hands fell to his aching cock and stroked himself in an attempt to relieve pressure. He pressed the head of his cock against her cunt, rubbing it against the sensitive bundle of nerves. "Never let you go again." He muttered.

Her teeth nipped at his shoulder and her mouth parted in a scream when the first thrust sheathed him inside of her. Her fingers curled around nothing and no sound escaped her lips, as she trembled. "Forever." She managed to whisper.

"Forever." He swore, his head falling to her shoulder, and he thrust into her, revelling in every gasp and moan and whimper and scream he was able to draw from her lips. Every single one of her sounds encouraged him and he muttered a string of promises and adorations against her soft skin, surging into her again and again.

"Please… do not stop." She whimpered, fingernails digging into any skin she could reach. "I need to come."

"Oh, you will." The Doctor said, darkly, rolling his hips in just the right spot, resulting in surprised scream of pleasure falling from the Priestess' lips. His fingers slipped between their bodies, falling to the swollen nub between her thighs and rubbing. "I don't plan on stopping till I hear you screaming my name, till you feel me inside and out and make you wonder how you could ever live without _this_." His hips snapped into hers.

"Oh, dear." She whimpered.

"I adore you, my love." He crooned, pressing into her mind just at the correct time, just when he felt her cunt convulsing around his cock, slowing down, leisurely. Sinking into her mind at this very moment was most likely the best thing he could have possibly done. He sent her every possible thought he had when he saw the Reaper devouring her and she wrapped her mind around his like a blanket. Seeing him imprinted on every facet of her mind, like a brand, and every emotion she had ever felt in regard to him echoing through their link, love, joy, admiration, adoration, anticipation, disbelief, anger, fury, fondness, sent him spiralling faster than he had ever before.

His hand smoothed back her hair from her forehead and she whimpered as he continued to rock into her. He started to whisper praises and endearments in Gallifreyan against her skin, his fingers tracing her true name against her shoulder, naming her his – body, mind and soul – again and again. She kissed his cheeks and his forehead, his jaw, then his eyelids and finally, her lips slanted across his, moaning his true name against his skin and they were soaring and soaring until they didn't know anything else but each other and their love, their names a prayer on their lips.

* * *

A/N: Wow. That was very nice, don't ya think? Hope you all liked the smut in this chapter. God knows it was hard to write and this was the first time I was writing proper smut. I liked this chapter, to be honest. I thought the Priestess would be so much angrier at Rose than the Doctor because she's more attuned to time than he is. And I cut the apology between the Doctor and Rose because I felt like the Doctor needed the Priestess more than anything in that moment. And I changed it so that the Priestess convinced Rose to go to her father at the end. The Priestess has mostly forgiven Rose for what she did, but who knows how the Doctor feels? And the smut… I think the Doctor needed to be close to the Priestess in that way.

Oh, and the title was from Stevie Wonder's song _Isn't She Lovely_. It's such a sweet song, you should listen to it!

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter!


	8. The Priestess in the Sky with Diamonds

Dream Weaver – Chapter 8

A/N: I thought about going ahead with _The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances_, but I thought after the way the last chapter ended, an original adventure between the Doctor and the Priestess might be the way to go, like a post-shag adventure, just as a sort of background to their relationship and to see how they interact with each other. We might get some smut again towards the end.

Okay, just a general note about bashing, because I got a few reviews about it last chapter. I hope you all don't think that I bashed Rose too much last chapter. I have seen authors be much worse with her in _Father's Day_, but apparently, I've gone pretty bad as well. I tried to write it from a Time Lady's perspective, that's why it seemed a bit harsh on her... at least, that's what I thought I was doing. I am sorry. I'll try and cut down on the Rose bashing in this story, but it may be more prevalent when we get to Season 2, unfortunately.

Replies to Reviews:

CaveCoding: Thank you so much for letting me know!

AxidentlGoddess: I consider my readers needing a cold shower the highest amount of praise ever. Thank you so much! The whole Rose-Priestess dynamic will be very traumatic. It'll get worse, then better, then worse again until it's all very confusing. The Priestess had no problem with the whole saving her father thing. One, it was the act that pissed her off and it was her smugness afterwards that really got to the Priestess. Once Rose became more humble during the episode, the Priestess could see that, but she couldn't help but blame Rose a little bit.

SilverWolf1978: Thank you so much and I'm glad you liked the lemon! I'm not going to say when Rose finds out about the Priestess, but it won't be for awhile.

DRWfangirl: I know, it did, didn't it? Um, I don't really want to say when Rose finds out about them being together, but it won't be for awhile.

Alexandria: I totally get that. I have a feeling that the 9/Rose romance would have been so much better than a 10/Rose romance. 10/Rose had all the chemistry of a teenage rom-com, you know. You know they're in love with each other, but you know it's never going to work out in the long run. It was a very childish romance in my eyes. 11 and River understood what it meant to be in a mature relationship and they worked their way around it. They knew they had to make sacrifices, River moreso, and they made the sacrifices.

NicoleR85: I know, I can't wait either, but you'll have to wait until the next chapter :)

masterdude94: Thank you so much! I think there is a fine line between bashing and simply pointing out the faults in a character and authors have to make sure they don't cross that line. I think that sometimes overly going into someone's character and picking out every single fault they have and blowing it out of proportion is bashing. _Father's Day_ was one of the few episodes where the Doctor addressed Rose's faults. I was just picking up on that. Rose had some serious issues in _Father's Day_. I don't blame her for wanting to save her father. I'm not going to act self-righteous and say that I wouldn't have done that, because I would have. I have a problem with her inability to own up to her own mistakes. I don't think that's bashing if I point out that's a fault. Now, if I took that one fault and made her act holier-than-thou in _every_ single chapter, then that would be bashing. But I don't think it is if it's one or two chapters in the grand scheme of things.

Guest: Bashing isn't for me either. I don't mind the occasional Rose or River or Martha or Amy bashing because each character have their own faults and it's nice to see that there are people who share your views on characters. I am aware that there are some authors who take bashing entirely too far and I am truly sorry if I came off that way. I'd like to think that I am including whatever good sides I find in Rose in my story. It's just, it's hard to do that when this story is focused on the Doctor and the Priestess, but I do try my hardest. I do plan on hashing out everything between them in _The Doctor Dances_. They will have a conversation that will clean the air between them. I agree with what you said that the Doctor should be blamed alongside Rose in this chapter and the Priestess did blame him to an extent. I plan on having that as a sore point between them in this series. At this point, the Doctor does care about Rose, he wants to travel with a human. I liked the way that 11 worded it with Amy. He doesn't see the universe the same anymore because he sees it the same way every time. I think all the Doctors are like that to some extent. They need a human in the TARDIS to see the universe with wonder and awe. That's why the Doctor and the Priestess keep Rose around, because they enjoy the feelings that Rose has when they travel and it's kind of secondhand for them. Rose has become a third wheel at this point, but it just gives her something to work around. She has to prove to the Doctor that she's worth keeping. As for her role in Season 2, I will be using her as a plot device mostly. I need her to have some growth in Season 2. She may be a bit of a bitch in early Season 2, but I want her to grow in the later episodes, so that she can have a tentative but rocky friendship with the Priestess. I need her in Season 1, because Rose is going to be the Bad Wolf. The Priestess will not interfere with that. Look... I'm aware that I can't please everyone with my writing. There are Doctor/Rose and Doctor/River shippers who won't even give this story a second look because those pairings don't exist in this series. And there's only so much I can do to make everyone happy. I'm sorry if you don't want to continue to read this story, it's totally up to you. But thank you, anyway, for bringing this up with me. Hopefully, I can treat Rose with a more neutral light in Season 2.

Warnings: Smut, sexual language and imagery. NOT SAFE FOR WORK, PEOPLE!

* * *

The Priestess in the Sky with Diamonds

The Doctor held the TARDIS doors open and allowed the Priestess to step out onto wherever they had landed. A full-blown smile appeared on her face when she saw the dark night sky and the lights of the skyscrapers and the cars sweeping through the sky. She spun on her feet and threw herself into the Doctor's arms in a show of elation, the Doctor catching her by the waist and wrapping her in his arms, masking the surprise. She pressed a quick succession of kisses all over his face, stretching from his jaw to his lips, to his cheeks, his eyelids and forehead.

The Doctor chuckled and his grip tightened around her just the slightest. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of holding her, especially now that he had just found her. His arms had been empty for so long that nowadays, all he wanted was for her to crawl inside him, just so he'd know that she was safe and alive and with him. They had decided to have just some time to themselves, while Rose stayed with her mother after the traumatic incident in 1987. If he was being completely honest, he had ulterior motives than wanting Rose to be alright. A part of him was still furious at the risk she had taken and the choice she had made, another part was furious at himself for taking her to 1987 and his ignoring of the Priestess' warnings. And the final part was the part that wanted to spend some alone time with the Priestess, after such a fantastic night, and he figured they needed some time to be comfortable with each other and to reform their relationship.

The Priestess hummed in his arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She said in between each of her kisses. The Doctor dodged the last one and used the break in her affection and slant his mouth over hers, the Priestess moaning into his mouth as he did so. He growled and his grip tightened like a vice, curling her body into is, just so he could feel every rise and fall of her body. Her hand cupped his jaw and his thumb stroked her hip. After a few moments, he broke away, reluctantly, not because of a need to breathe, but more of a necessity, knowing that if he continued, he wouldn't be able to take her to Venna XII and show her the sights. Instead, he'd probably push her back into the TARDIS and lock the bedroom door behind them.

They strode out of the alley in which they had parked the TARDIS, the Doctor's arm casually wrapped around his waist, but she knew it was a possessive, yet normal gesture for him. He had walked like that with her even back in their first bodies, back in the Academy. His possessiveness of her as his friend had grown into possessiveness of her as his lover and later his Bondmate, even if they had kept _that_ a secret for decades. She didn't mind, though. She knew her Doctor was the jealous type, but he had never went overboard in his jealousy, he had never once suspected her of doing anything with anyone other than him, he was just wary of people around her.

Her hand covered the hand that was stroking her hip, gently, as they walked through the throngs of people on the sidewalk, gazing at the busy streets, the chilly air invigorating them like nothing else. The Doctor eyed the many shops and restaurants and his icy blue eyes fell on the large skyscraper that loomed over all of the other buildings at the end of the street they were on, with its lights on high beam, coating the entire streets with a dim gaze, the Golden Sands Hotel. He frowned and resolved to take the Priestess there when their night had ended fully. He wanted to give her the full travelling experience, as if they were humans. He started when she suddenly stopped, her eyes caught on a bar, with music blaring on at full blast. Her eyes lit up and she turned to him, her eyes going wide and a pout forming on her lips.

"Okay." He sighed and grabbed her hand, opening the door for her to walk through in front of him. He watched her as she stared at awe at the smell of cigar smoke and alcohol that drifted towards her, at the gyrating bodies of so many species on the dance floor, indecent in Time Lord terms, and her eyes snapped towards the bar, grabbing his hand and tugging him in that direction.

"What can I get you both?" The bartended asked. He was a tall, green-skinned man, wearing dark trousers and a dark buttoned-up shirt.

The Doctor bristled when he saw the leer in his eyes, as he looked the Priestess up and down, appreciatively, and he had to admit, his grip on her tightened, not turning his gaze away from the bartender, even when she looked up at him, curiously. He knew she wasn't innocent. No one who knew her properly could say that the Priestess was innocent. But if she knew that a man was interested in her romantically or sexually, she just turned a blind eye. He had asked her why that was a long time ago. She had told, without blinking once, that she was only interested in that sort of appreciation from him and no one else. It had been enough to assuage his possessiveness and insecurity and he hadn't looked back once. He had never needed to, but that didn't mean he didn't feel that stab of proprietary every time he saw someone eyeing up his Bondmate.

"I am not sure what is good." The Priestess peered at the list of drinks. "An Earth classic… although I am not sure why it is a classic… I will have a Mojito." She said, a smile forming on her face. She looked up at the Doctor. "And you, beloved?"

"Whiskey Sour." He said, gruffly, to the bartender and led them away from the counter, in the direction of an empty table in a dark corner of the bar.

He pulled out her chair for her, resisting the urge to grin like a fool when she beamed up at him. She always did have this effect on him. She made him feel like a teenage human boy, asking out his very first date to a dance. It was the sincerity in the way she was with him. They had no pretences, no lies, no secrets between them. They were the same Theta Sigma and Annika, who had met on their first day of the Academy.

When their drinks arrived, the Priestess took a careful sip of her own, her lips curling into a blinding smile as she tasted the mint, lime, sugar and run on her tongue, each unique flavour coming together, wonderfully, and sparking her senses. The Doctor took a slow gulp of his Whiskey Sour, swallowing hard against the burn in his throat, and their hands slid across the table, simultaneously, to grasp each other's. The Priestess hummed and scooted her chair closer to the Doctor, her head falling onto his leather-covered shoulder and her hand curling around his bicep, her entire body blissful. Her hand slid down his arm and aimed for the hand that was on his tight, her fingers sliding in between his, and the two of them listening as the fast beat alien swing song changed to something melodious and slow and light. The lighting in the bar changed. What had been a large room tinted with light blue and lime green, now changed to warm reds and deep browns. The walls looked as though they were on fire and candles descended from the ceiling, blazing.

The Priestess rested her chin on the Doctor's shoulder and he shifted his head to the side, just slightly, to see her properly. One of his hands moved from the table and he pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen into her eyes and she had neglected to tuck away. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his high cheekbones.

"Thank you, beloved, for bringing me here. It is nice for us to spend some time together, is it not?" She asked, softly.

"It is." The Doctor said, roughly. "I love spending time with you and it's nice to be alone." He picked the Priestess up from her chair and deposited her, unceremoniously, into the juncture between his things, her legs draped over one of his, making her laugh.

She took a slow, long sip of her drink and he watched the muscles in her throat flex. She made a frustrated noise and held the cool glass up to her temples, relishing in the chill, when it hit her flushed skin. The Doctor watched, animated, as a single drop of water fell from her temple, down the side of her cheek, his thumb stroking where it hit her neck. She shifted, slightly, and turned to face him, draping one of her arms over his shoulder and around his neck, her nails scratching the back of his hair. Her lips dragged across the skin of his neck, just by his jugular, humming as her tongue slipped out to taste his skin, making the Doctor shudder. He cupped the back of her head and, reluctantly, dragged her away.

"What's wrong, love?" He asked, carefully. He knew the Priestess better than anyone. He knew, while she was wild when she wanted to be, she would be composed as ever when there were people around. This was not like her at all, in fact her face was warm and he could the red blush mixing against her caramel skin. While he would have loved to see that blush on her, when they were alone, he knew he hadn't been doing anything to her, either physically or through their connection. He placed a hand on her cheek and her eyes drifted closed, practically nuzzling into his hand. "'Tess," _'Nika_, he called out through their connection. "You okay?" He asked, worriedly.

The Priestess hummed and shifted again, this time, her legs straddling his thighs, and her hands stroked down from his shoulders and down his arms. "I feel warm, my love." She murmured. Her palm fell to the side of his neck and her fingers cupped his jaw. "Warm… my heartbeats are erratic." She whispered, taking one of his hands in hers and pressing it against her chest, around the underside of breasts. She didn't take her eyes off him for a second and if his fingers grazed the sides of her breasts, neither of them said a word, but the Priestess did observe him with a knowing look in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

The Doctor frowned and picked up her glass, raising it to his lips, but drinking the slightest. His finger ran along the edge of the glass and narrowed his eyes at the green powder that was left as remnants on his skin, disguised by the green of the mint leaves that were in the drink. His thumb and index finger rubbed the fine powder between them and he held it up in the air, closer to his face, to get a better look at the suspicious ingredient, squinting in whatever light the bar gave him. The Priestess, simply, wrapped her arms around him, tightly, smiling to herself, contentedly, and burying herself in his shoulder. His hands came around to hold her close and he paled, his sense of smell reaching out and his mind sensing the leftovers of estrogens, oxytocins and dozens of different pheromones in the remaining drink and on her lips. He cursed under his breath and his head turned to glare at the bartender, who was chatting up some female cyborg, who was leaning, appreciatively, over the counter. The urge to go and break his bones made his entire body tense in awareness. He knew he could do it, the bloodlust making itself clear in his mind. But he knew he had to be smart about this, he wasn't aware of the effects that this drug had on the locals or the frequent visitors, let alone a Time Lady. He needed to find out as much as he possibly could about what he had spiked her drink with before he could act on his anger.

The Priestess' shifted for the third time and the Doctor almost jumped. Her hips undulated in a circle _just_ where he had not wanted it to. He growled, lowly, and his hands came to rest on her waist, stilling her for a moment so that he could restrain those hormones that had reared their ugly head when the Priestess began her hip rolling. The Priestess smiled that sweet, sexy small smile that was only his. He had been the only one to ever see it and he'd try his damnedest to make sure no one else would. The Priestess' arms came up and wrapped around his neck, pressing herself closer to him. Her smile grew, mischievously, and she bit her lower lip in an impression of shyness. But he knew her. He knew that she knew exactly what she was doing. She knew everything that would make him hot, everything that would make him ache for her and everything that would make him fall over, head over heels, to get her into bed. But then, he smirked and his hand slid up from her waist to stroke her side, slowly, watching in pride as her eyes drifted shut, the drug coursing through her veins making her _extra_ sensitive. He lamented that if they had administered this aphrodisiac on their own, in private, they could have had so much fun with it. Instead, he knew he had to stop and pulled his hands away from her, keeping them at the side of the chair. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him, longingly, and he shook her head.

"Sorry, love." He murmured. "They've put something in your drink. Gotta figure out what it is. But, don't worry." The Doctor said, cheerfully, trying to reassure her, as a worried look entered her eyes, her own composed nature peeking through her eyes. "Time Lord, me, remember?" He grinned when he saw her roll her eyes.

_Yes, I am aware of what species you are, my love_. The Priestess told him, dryly. _But I am worried. I am not in control of my hormones. Whatever substance they contaminated my beverage with has power over my endocrine system. My body is producing copious amounts of LH, oestrogen, testosterone and dopamine. My heartbeats are erratic, my face is hot, my skin feels hyper-sensitive and I am growing more and more faint as time goes by. I will lose most of my faculties very soon and I will not be of much help to you after that. _She paused and looked at him, intently. _Whatever… if anything… intimate… _ She covered his cheek with her hand and stroked, gently, the absolute trust in him evident in her eyes and mind. _…were to happen between us while I am under the influence of whatever they have drugged me with, I will not hold it against you, beloved. I… You have my consent, I am sure you are aware._ Her words were nervous and a little shy, but blazed with the strength of her honesty and the belief in him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, heartened by the faith she had in him. _Nothing's gonna happen, 'Nika. I'll get the bartender and make him tell me how to cure you and then we'll go back to the TARDIS and you can wait it out. It'll be fine. _He tightened his arms around her. _And, anyway…_ He looked slightly uncomfortable by the direction his words were taking. _I won't… I mean, I'd never do that to you. You wouldn't be telling me that I could. I'd never presume to_…

_But you could_. The Priestess said. _My love, you are aware of what the use of this substance is. The composition seems to be one that is found in common aphrodisiacs in this galaxy in the 32__nd__ century. We might have once… experimented… with something like this, but privately and in the TARDIS, not out in public like in this situation. But I trust you. I know you would never do anything or act in a way that would hurt me. And if you cannot find the cure in time, the only option we have is to allow it to take effect. And anything that happens between us in that period of time… I would consent, freely and voluntarily, I promise._

'_Nika_. The Doctor scolded. _Won't get to that point, I promise. But okay, _He said, quickly, seeing a slowing forming annoyed look in her eyes. _I know you're saying yes to me_.

She smiled and kissed him, long and hard, her hands cupping his face. When he pulled away from her after a few seconds, long enough for him to taste the proper ingredients that were left on her lips, not just the hormones that she was exuding, it was so that he didn't fall under the spell of the aphrodisiac as well. He could taste the Kwelae leaf and Migara berries they had placed in the powder, both used in various hallucinogens in this quadrant of the galaxy, as well as Juhi juice, which had trace amounts of dopamine and oxytocins in the liquid. He cursed under his breath and lifted her up, placing her back on her seat.

"Time to go, 'Tess." The Doctor said, curtly, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "We'll go back to the TARDIS and I'll come back and ask the bartender on how to fix you. I'll feel better, knowing that you're near the TARDIS."

The Priestess didn't say a word, her inhibitions and her reactions stunted by the effect of the aphrodisiac on her nerves, and she simply curled into his side, his arms around her waist, as he led her from the bar.

* * *

"Stay here." The Doctor told her, curtly, once they had reached the alley where they had parked the TARDIS in. He frowned, looking her over once, intently, as a tremor shot through her, before slipping out of the alley and back the way they had come, towards the bar.

The Priestess ran her hand through her hair, pressing her back against the wall, sighing, contentedly, when the cool bricks came into contact with her overheated and oversensitive skin, trying her hardest to ignore the zings of pleasure that raced down her spine. She gasped, feeling a sudden heat rising through her entire body, a stark contrast to the cool that emanated from her skin on a daily basis. She felt as if her body were on fire, spreading all over her skin and settling in between her thighs, feeling every single one of her pulses throbbing in succession. Her nails dragged across her face in frustration, making her whimper. Her fingers curled into fists and struck the wall at her sides and she ignored the resulting ache that rose from her hands.

It was this uncontrollable chain of urges and the flood of warmth that dulled her sense that made her ignorant to the fact that two burly males had slinked up to her. One wrapped his arm around her waist and the other covered her mouth with his hand, so that she wouldn't scream. Despite the current buzz that was taking over her senses, she realised that it wasn't the Doctor who had taken a hold of her and she struggled, kicking out and striking her fists at whatever part of the body she could grab a hold on. It wasn't until she felt a sharp pinprick in the side of her neck that she realised that she had been drugged twice in the same night, and her entire body fell slack in their hold.

* * *

The Doctor stormed over to the bar and told the female cyborg the bartender was currently propositioning, in nicer terms, to shove off. He glared at the bartender, who masked his nervousness and fear, with a mask of superiority and self-confidence, which the Doctor was able to see through, even without his vast experience as a telepath.

"What did you put in my Bondmate's drink?" He asked, shortly, but the quiet fury thrummed with every word he spoke.

"No idea what you're talking about." The bartender attempted to say this, nonchalantly, but failed, miserably.

The Doctor clenched his teeth and his hands curled into fists at his side. He lunged and his hands reached for the bartender across the counter, startling all of the patrons who had been sitting at the bar instead of finding a table. He grabbed the bartender by the scruff of his shirt and yanked him over the bar.

"Tell me… _now_!" He snarled in the scared man's face. "What did you do to her?"

"Look, man… it's not my fault." The bartender stuttered. "There's this group… they pay me a cut every month if I send them blown-out females every now and then. Your girlfriend looked like a good shot, so I gave her the drug they give me."

The Doctor ground against his teeth. "What do they want the girls for?"

"They sell 'em… to the rich bastards up in Zuvira 9 as concubines." He said, reluctantly. "Cheaper than the regular whores on the market."

That was all the Doctor needed for his fist to swing in an arc and slam into the bartender's face, sending him flying into the racks of glassware behind him. The fury coursed through every single nerve and set him alight. He was just about to jump over the counter and hit him again a few times, when the bartender, clutching his bleeding lip and aching jaw, started to speak.

"You're too late. There's a bio-tracker in that drink and you didn't bring your lady friend with you here." He said, smugly. "Wherever you've left her, they've probably got their hands on her, already. She'll be on the next ship to Zuvira."

The Doctor paled and sickening sort of worry hit him like a sword to the belly and he hightailed it out of the bar as fast as he could, storming through the swarms of people on the street, and rushed down the alleyway. He swallowed hard and looked around, spinning in a circle, spotting the TARDIS against the back end of the wall, but no Priestess. She would never have moved from the alley if he asked her not to. Especially in her state. She had enough awareness to know that she was too much of a liability on her own. She would have stayed put in the alley until he came back for her. That meant that whoever the bartender had been working for had taken her as part of their trafficking ring. And she was alone. And she was injured. And that meant he needed to save her.

And he needed to get her back.

And he would, at all costs.

* * *

When the Priestess' eyes blinked open, finally, she tensed the moment she realised that she was in a moving vehicle with barely any lighting. She took a quick assessment of her mental state, realising that she was more in control of her senses and her actions this time. She guessed that whatever they had injected her with in the alley had dulled the effects of the drug on her. Whether they had intended to diminish the effects of the drug or whether it had been an unfortunate and surprising consequence as a result of her Time Lady physiology, she didn't know. But she knew that the effects of the aphrodisiac would return sooner or later, her telepathy was holding it back, but she knew she wouldn't be able to do that for a great amount of time. When she tried to move her arms, she found that they had been chained behind her back. She was pretty much free, with only her hands tied, but otherwise, she had enough freedom to move around if she so wished. But she decided not to draw attention to the fact that she could escape any moment. She wasn't sure exactly who had kidnapped her, why they had taken her captive or what the complete effects of the drug were. And if the stimulant took effect all over again, she would useless.

But she knew the Doctor would come for her. He'd never leave her in this state and, even if he knew she could take care of herself, he'd come for her. He'd stand by and watch as she took care of all of them, but he'd come.

* * *

The Doctor stalked back to the bar, his form tense and spitting fury. He stormed over to the bartender, who was still nursing his split lip, and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt again, his muscles tensing under his leather jacket.

"Where is she?" He snapped. "Where do I find her?"

The man shrugged. "You can't. She'll be on the ship by now. They'd have made her sleep and then taken her onto the ship. Then, they'll shoot her with another dose of that drug I put in her drink. Make her real aching for it when they put her up for auction. Makes the first time really sweet for both the whore and the master."

A long line of expletives, in a mixture of languages, spilled from his lips when the Doctor heard those words uttered by the bartender. A mix of vicious fury and agonising distress settled low in his stomach, making it churn, unpleasantly. His grip shifted from the bartender's shirt to his throat, one hand wrapping around the scaly skin, tightly, and pressing him against the shelves, much to the onlookers' shock.

"Tell me where she is." The Doctor growled, dangerously, madness slipping into his eyes. His skin practically itched with the need to find the Priestess safe and well, by his side. He could feel his control over his emotions and his actions slipping with every moment that passed that she wasn't with him. And in that state, especially, and what was held in store for her if this mysterious group went ahead with their hand. A possessive anger and worry reared its ugly head at the thought of someone other than him laying their slimy hands on _his_ Bondmate. _His _Priestess. He had lost her once, he'd be damned if he lost her again. "NOW!" He roared.

"I don't know." The bartender stammered. "They only have one ship and they take a few girls every night. They'd have left from Nairaeda Pier a little while ago. Their flight sequence is set, you can't change it."

_Theta. I believe I might need your assistance. _The Priestess' voice came over their connection.

_You believe? You're about to become some rich bastard's concubine and you believe?_ The Doctor asked, incredulously, anger returning at his own words.

_Language, my love_. The Priestess scolded. _I believe I am on a ship somewhere. The lighting is too dim for me to ascertain my specific whereabouts. As far as I know, I am alone. _She paused. _What do you mean by concubine?_

_The bartender drugged you with an aphrodisiac. He told me he gets something on the side if he drugs pretty girls who he thinks are easy prey. A group kidnaps those girls and sells 'em at this auction to rich men in Zuvira 9. _He could feel the Priestess tremble at those words. _Don't worry, 'Nika, I'll find you before that happens. Are you hurt?_ He demanded.

_My hands have been tied behind my back, but I believe I can remove the chains with ease. How will you be able to find me?_ The Priestess wondered.

_Actually_, The Doctor rubbed the back of his head. _I don't have much of an idea. I hoped you might. Do you?_

_If I can free myself, I can search this spaceship. You said that this group abducts the intoxicated women and sells them to wealthy men on Zuvira 9. There is a chance that other women may be on this spaceship. I must find them._

_What about whoever's in charge of this plan? What if you run into them? 'Nika, they can kill you. _The Doctor growled.

_I am not completely ineffective, my love. I can defend myself if need be. I do not relish the thought of hurting someone. But these people might be the instigators of my rape and the rape of other women, as well as the other women they have sold to other customers on Zuvira 9. If anything, they deserve at least one hit from me. Did the bartender tell you anything else?_

_Okay, first of all, not your rape, 'Nika. You get out. No matter what. I mean it. Got that. _The Doctor growled, slightly horrified at the thought of that violation on his Bondmate. _The bartender told me they'll shoot you with another dose of that drug._

_To make me more amenable to the attentions of my future owner. _The Priestess finished and rolled her eyes at the Doctor's answering growl.

_If anything, I'm your owner_. The Doctor grumbled.

The Priestess smiled in amusement. _Only if I am your owner._ She purred. _I believe I can remove these chains fairly easily and then I will search for any other women on the spaceship. If there is some sort of transporting or teleporting device on this ship, I should be able to lock onto the coordinates of the TARDIS or at least send the console the coordinates of the ship in order for you to fly the TARDIS here. _

_Annika_. The Doctor sighed. _Love, be careful. Do whatever you need to do to protect yourself._ He said, warningly.

_Yes, beloved._

* * *

The Priestess wrenched her hands against the chains that bound her wrists, testing the quality of the material they had used. It felt like metal and perhaps even handcuffs and she tested the state of her arms, seeing if they were strong enough to actually do what she was planning to do. She pursed her lips and she slid her bound hands under her body and thighs and legs and brought them over her feet, so that her hands were now bound in front of her.

She looked around, desperately, trying to find something that would help her out with the handcuffs. She spotted a sharp, metal table sitting against the side of the room, and an idea occurred to her. She stood up and walked over, practically tip-toeing, so that she wouldn't attract attention to herself too early. She stood in front of the table and ran a finger down the sharp edge, testing whether it would be enough. She raised her hands, still cuffed, high over her head and brought it down hard, striking the chain links in between the two cuffs against the edge of the table, feeling the links start to give way under the pressure. She did the same a few more times before pausing. She raised it higher than before and clenched her fists, bringing it down a final time and hit the handcuffs against the table and finally, the chain links gave away and separated, freeing her. She shook her hands, easing the ache in her wrists and looked around, carefully, wondering why no one had bothered to come and find out what the noise was.

She headed towards the door, pressing the switch on a panel on the wall, surprised when it opened. _For a kidnapping craft, there is not a great deal of security_. She glanced around the corridor for a moment, before walking off in one direction, carefully and cautiously, stretching out her senses to see if someone was nearby. When she heard nothing, she continued to walk. She came to another door, which looked remarkably like the door to the room she had been trapped inside, and hesitated.

Her shoulders slumped as so many ideas warred inside of her. She clashed between checking each of the doors for any other women and finding the control room, so that she could send the Doctor the coordinates for the spaceship. She bit her lip and went on her way, resolving to be quick about sending him the coordinates and getting him to bring the TARDIS here. If she had him, it would be easier for her to free any other women and topple the organisation that was behind the trafficking. She hated to admit it, but she could use the Doctor's brute force, especially since she didn't know enough about the group to do anything drastic. She didn't even know what species they were, and if more than one, what their endgame was.

She pressed her back close to the wall and slunk closer and closer to where she could hear voices. Male voices. She ducked her head and looked around a wall to see a group of males surrounding a control panel and the dashboard of the ship. They all looked to be different species, a few of them looking very human and a few of them similar to the species the bartender had been. But, while she catalogued all of these features, she wasn't able to appraise why they were behind the trafficking ring in the first place.

She gritted her teeth and then, her eyes were caught by a small square device on the wall. She edged across the doorway as quickly as possible and slid over to the device, unclipping the glass cover and gazed at the circuitry, quickly realising that it was a device that acted as an outpost for the security of the spaceship. It controlled disaster functions and acted as alarms for the crew to activate if there was a problem. She narrowed her eyes, her mind analysing the system and determining what she needed to do to get the desired effect. She started to shift around a few of the wires, every now and then looking around to see that she was still hidden, and removed a few of the transistors and diodes, until she was left with all she needed. She glowered at the group of men and pressed down the button to sound the alarm, the sirens blaring and the corridors tinting red. She ducked into a side-corridor as all four men stormed out of the control room, looking angry, and walked in the direction that the Priestess had come through.

She waited until she was sure they wouldn't turn back and rushed into the control panel, her eyes scanning the technology until she appraised the controls. She was able to find the space-time coordinates for the spaceship and key into the computer, her eyes running over the flight sequence for the ship.

_Theta, I have found the coordinates for the ship. They are nine – seven – triple five – alpha – zero – six – four – acorn – star. Come quickly, my love, I fear there are more women on this ship._

_I'm coming, love. I'll bring the TARDIS there._

_Theta. _The Priestess began to breathe, heavily, and she heard footfalls near the control room, half in fear and half in insanity. _My love, I believe they have already drugged me. Perhaps they re-applied the aphrodisiac while I was unconscious. But the effects are strengthening and the men are returning to the console room. If you are coming, please come quick._ She whispered.

Her eyes closed, briefly, as meaty, scaly hands grabbed her arms, and she smiled, hearing the familiar, metal grinding noise that signified the arrival of the TARDIS. She heard the doors slam open and she was suddenly free from anyone's grip and then she was pressed against smooth, cool leather and she nuzzled into the embrace of her Bondmate, feeling his mind and his arms surround hers like a warm, comforting blanket.

"Okay, love?" His voice rumbled in her ears. "Did they hurt you?" She could hear the ice his tone and clung to him, desperately.

The Priestess shook her head, not being able to speak, properly, resolving to communicate with him through their connection. _The drug… I cannot control my reactions. I am getting hotter and hotter, my hearts are beating erratically and… oh, Theta, take me back to the TARDIS, quick. _She sobbed out.

"You go inside, I'll take care of everything here." He murmured, soothingly, and she stumbled over to the TARDIS, closing the doors behind her. She staggered down through the corridors into the bedroom she shared with the Doctor, collapsing onto the bed, shivering as the cool silk sheets touched her flushed skin.

* * *

"What have you done to her?" The Doctor snarled at the men, especially the ones who had dared to put their hands on _his_ Bondmate.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" One of the males laughed.

The Doctor took a deep breath, his mind searching out the Priestess' and found her, writhing on their bed in discomfort. He nodded, knowing that she was safe. "Yeah, I would." He growled and grabbed one of the males by the shirt collar and wrenched the only weapon that the four were holding from his hands, tossing it away. Another man rushed at him and the Doctor moved to the side, so that the man would miss him and hit the TARDIS instead. The TARDIS shocked the man the moment he touched the blue doors, vindictive enough, due to the kidnapping of her Prophet. The other males, suddenly afraid, reared back.

"Now, if you don't tell me what you did to my Bondmate, my ship has quite the temper and she's protective as hell of my Bondmate. Trust me, you'll be wishing you were anywhere else in the universe but here." The Doctor said, darkly. He looked at the two men who had recoiled away from him. "Well?" He raised an eyebrow.

"We drugged her again with that same drug from the bar. She'll be randy for around another twenty-four hours before the effects start to wear off." One of the males stuttered. "There's no antidote for the drug. It was just to keep her complacent long enough for someone to buy her."

The Doctor gritted his teeth against the anger and looked around, desperately. Suddenly, the sound of electricity blared through the control room and two men and three women appeared inside the control room, much to the four traffickers' surprise. The six officers raised their lasers and pointed them at the traffickers.

"RAISE YOUR HANDS!" The six men shouted at the traffickers and the Doctor smirked.

He took a few steps backwards, his back hitting the doors of the TARDIS. "Chief." He turned to the head of the five officers. "I think there are more women in the ship. You're gonna need ambulances."

The officers moved forwards and forced all four criminals to their knees, handcuffing all of them behind their backs. The Doctor watched as the three women marched four other tired, weary and debilitated women into the console room, attaching teleportation devices to them. The Doctor couldn't bring himself to watch anymore, just staying long enough to see the officers take the criminals and drugged females back to their headquarters.

He stormed inside the TARDIS, shutting the doors behind him, and pressed the button on the console to start dematerialisation.

_Hey, old girl, _The Doctor stroked the time rotor. _Do you mind just sticking around in the vortex for now? Just until the drug wears off._

_Is she alright, thief?_ The TARDIS asked him, worried for her Prophet.

_She will be_. The Doctor said, grimly. _The traffickers said the drug should wear off in around twenty-four hours. Did you see anything bad in the drug when she walked inside?_

_From what I can tell, thief, the traffickers were telling the truth. The drug should wear off soon. Of course, that depends on you easing her stress_. The TARDIS said, saucily, practically smirking in his mind.

The Doctor flushed. _Shut up._ He grumbled and stalked down the ramp, working his way through the corridors until he reached his bedroom, opening the door, slowly.

The Priestess was lying on the bed, her hands fisted in the sheets, as she tossed and turned, her back arching, exposing the long line of her throat. The Doctor hesitated and walked over to her, stopping at the side of the bed. He grabbed her hands, from where they were itching to claw at her skin, and pressed them against her sides.

The Priestess jumped from the sudden touch of his fingers, his hands sending her oversensitive skin into overdrive. Her skin felt hot and tingling and her mind wasn't able to focus on anything in particular. She felt the throbbing settle low in her stomach and her lips parted, needing something, needing him, but she didn't know how to express that necessity.

"Thetathetathetatheta." The Priestess muttered over and over again, reaching up and burying her face in his shoulder, inhaling the scent of time and leather and strength and hurt and needing him more than she had ever needed him before. Her mind and her hearts sang with the ache, hoping that he would hear and take pity on her. "Pleasepleasepleaseplease, oh, my love, please."

The Doctor pursed his lips.

"_And anything that happens between us in that period of time… I would consent, freely and voluntarily, I promise"_

_I hope you'll still feel the same way in the morning, love_. The Doctor thought, hopelessly, and he dived down, catching her trembling lip in between his own and sucking on it, gently, making her whimper, slowly.

He started to kiss her, furiously, but his hands felt feather-light on her skin, making her groan in annoyance.

"My love, your hands, I will not break, you can be rough." She whispered, seductively, in his ear.

The Doctor growled and seized her mouth again, bearing down on her and slotting one of his legs in between hers, so that she could grind her cunt against his thigh for some sort of relief. She sobbed out a string of expletives and clutched him all the more tighter to her body, her hands sliding underneath his leather jacket and pulling it off, desperately, tossing it against the wall of the room, her hands sliding against the wool of his jumper, aching for his skin to be touching hers.

"Shh, my love." The Doctor said, soothingly and cupped her head, dragging her up to meet her lips with his. He slid his hands underneath her back and they made for the zipper at the top. He slid it, slowly, down and tugged at the hem of the dress, pulling it off her in one, swift motion.

She laughed, long and low, her voice throaty from the effects of the drug, and she rubbed her thighs together to get some of that sweet friction she was aching for. The Doctor's hands wandered over her exposed flesh and came up to cup her breasts through the bra she was wearing. He stroking the curvy, sensitive flesh, rejoicing in the whimpers and moans and cries of pleasure he was able to wring from her lips. He gave them a final, gentle squeeze, before pressing his lips to the tops of the swells, making her sigh and hold him all the more tighter against her.

"How're you goin'?" The Doctor asked her, his voice rough with restraint.

"Enough teasing." She growled and started to press a line of kisses down from where his ear met his neck to edge of his shoulder. His fingers traced the outline of her bra, sometimes dipping his fingers into the silk to taunt her nipples into pert tips. His fingers danced across the toffee-coloured, supple flesh, making her moan and thrust out her chest for more contact. He twisted his arm behind her and practically ripped at the hooks, destroying the clasp.

He followed suit, tugging on the ends of his jumper, pulling it up and over his head, slowly, just to tease her, before dropping it somewhere on the floor of their bedroom. The Priestess had waited until the jumper was completely gone, before letting go of her grip on the bra, which she had been holding against her chest. The Priestess smiled when she saw the look in his eyes when she finally let go of the scrap of lace in her hands. It both delighted and excited her at the same time. His eyes were practically reverent when they explored the curves of her body and the way that his eyes raked her body with such focus made the ache between her eyes, which was already unbearable, grew even more intense.

The Doctor moved forwards, so that he was situated in front of her, his chest lying in between her thighs. He kissed her stomach, sweetly, and his nose brushed a line up to the valley between her breasts. He propped himself up on his elbows, his hands stroking her breasts, just to tease her, his fingers flicking, gently, at her nipples, making them taut and aching.

"Oh, why are you teasing me?" The Priestess whimpered, her thighs sliding against his hips, grinding her cunt against the muscled skin of his stomach, much to his amusement.

"Silly girl." He growled in her ear. "You have to be patient. You're good at bein' patient, remember?"

"Not with you." She hissed.

The Doctor sighed, rolling his eyes. He leaned down and curved his lips around her nipple, laving the peak with his tongue. She resisted the urge to buck her hips into him and instead, gritted her teeth.

"How's the drug goin'?" The Doctor asked, playfully.

She glared at him and hissed in pleasure when he pinched her nipple, lightly, the spark of painful pleasure going straight between her thighs. "My dopamine levels are, _guh_, rising. I believe the drug has stimulated any erogenous zone on my body to the point where it becomes overly sensitive when touched. _Ah!_" She cried out.

The Doctor smirked. "Well, won't that be fun?" He ran his fingertips over the swells of her breasts, grinning at the way her lips parted, and down her ribs, causing her to arch her back, pressing her breasts and belly against him. His hands continued to trail down, curving around her hips, and he realised that she was trembling. _Trembling_. A surge of male pride rose in him, realising that her reactions weren't all because of the drug. He hooked two fingers in either side of her panties and to, slowly, slide them down her long, toned legs.

He urged her legs open, slightly, making room for himself, so that he could settle in between them. Her fingers played with the soft, short hair at the top of his head, not feeling self-conscious at all, while he stared, intently, at her cunt. He reached out and delicately stroked the soft, wet flesh with his fingertips. He smiled, proudly, when he heard her breathing turn ragged. He didn't want to spend too much time on this, knowing that the drug was addling her mind too far, and he wanted to explore her completely in a much different setting. Now, he knew he had to just give her some release.

"Do you want me?" The Doctor growled.

"Yes." She hissed out, pressing herself, earnestly, against him.

"Didn't quite hear you, goin' to have to repeat it." The Doctor murmured, his voice all gravelly, his hand trailed down her leg to curve around her thigh, pushing the limb out and exposing more of her to his gaze.

"Yes!" She snapped, her voice echoing with a filthy promise, grinding her cunt against his hard length. She reached up and grabbed his head, bringing it down for his mouth to meet hers, nipping at the lower lip.

He jerked her forwards by her thighs and lifted them up, spreading her legs, so that the lower half of her body was suspended in the air. With one hand, he undid the button on his jeans and unzipped the zipper, dragging them off in one quick, swift motion.

"Are you not wearing underwear?" The Priestess managed to asked, her voice scandalised.

The Doctor smirked. "I was hopin' I would get lucky tonight." And with one thrust, he sank into her, forcefully.

The Priestess shrieked, surging forwards, and she tugged him down to press their foreheads against each other, sinking into his mind without a thought, catching swirls of coherent thoughts which were overwhelmed by the chaotic pleasure from both of them. She dug her nails into his back and the Doctor turned, slightly, to the side, biting down on the juncture between her neck and shoulders, making her cry out in pleasure.

"Mine." The Doctor growled, darkly, the primal need to have his mark on her rearing its head.

The Doctor reached for her, wrapping his arms, tightly, around her body and holding her close. He kissed the side of her head as he slammed into her, overcome by how hot and wet and tight she was. His mind sought hers and was stunned by the violence of her thoughts.

_Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes, oh, please, more, oh, Omega, please, Theta. More._ She muttered, furiously, and with another thrust, she cried out, both in her mind and out loud.

The Doctor hummed, appreciatively. _I love that sound, Dream Girl. Make it again_. He demanded.

_Anything you desire, my love_. The Priestess purred in his head, feeling a little more in control of herself as her ache was being satisfied. _Just please do not stop_.

_Oh, I won't._ The Doctor's words were a filthy and dark promise. _Don't plan on stoppin', love. Not until you come all over my cock like the sinful thing you are. _

The Priestess muffled her screams and whimpers of pleasure into his shoulder, her nails raking down her back, as he rocked, steadily, into her. She reached for him again, both physically and mentally, amazed by the lack of coherence and obscenity in his thoughts. _Fucking perfect beautiful always love never deserved my Annika my Dream Girl never letting you go mine mine mine._ The possessive tone that echoed through her mind invigorated her and she raised her hips to match each one of his thrusts. She never thought she would ever feel this full of him ever again, not just her body, which he seemed to be stretching and filling to the very limits, like he had never done before, but also her mind, as he pulled her into him, entwining their minds together in a way that she couldn't ever imagine leaving him for a second after this.

_My Theta, please_. She whimpered and he laved at the bite mark on her neck, proudly, loving the way it darkened against her skin. His thrusts started to gain momentum and she lost, sinking back against the bed as he used her like a rag doll, pulling her onto his cock every time, hitting that one spot in her that sent her into trembles every time he hit it. Her fingers curled in the sheets and she looked up at him, noticing that his eyes were darker than ever and slipped one of her hands to curve around the back of his neck.

Heat started to coil in her stomach and she felt the shudders and small sharp bits of pleasure slowly increasing. She could practically hear the blood pumping through their veins, hear their four heartbeats beating erratically, and started to gasp for air.

_Oh, Theta. _She sobbed out when she hit that final peak and thrashed against him as she came down. She felt herself convulsing around him and that was all he needed as well. A few more short thrusts and he gritted his teeth as he shook, violently, joining her in that oblivion caused by their frantic love-making, the drug and their minds fitting perfectly against each other.

The Doctor fell over onto the bed, on one of her sides and she turned onto her stomach, mindful of the soreness between her legs and the continuing oversensitivity. One of her hands slid across his stomach and she inched closer to him, his arm coming around her, allowing her to pillow her head on his shoulder.

"Well, how do you feel?" The Doctor asked, carefully, turning his head to the side to look at her.

"More in control." The Priestess replied, nuzzling into him. "But the drug will take effect all over again in a matter of time, my love." She smiled and kissed his shoulder. "In fact, the ache is returning." She purred.

The Doctor groaned and his head sank back against the pillow. "Give me a second."

"Well…" The Priestess drawled and hooked a leg over his thigh. Her hand slid down his stomach, all the while resting her chin on his shoulder and staring at the Doctor with a wanton smile on her lips. "Allow me to help you along."

* * *

The Doctor looked up into her chocolate brown eyes, her coffee-coloured hair falling onto her shoulders like a wave, taking in her beauty. Her dark eyes, long lashes and full, luscious lips parted in pleasure, her sheer need showing as her eyes glazed over and almost rolled back into her head.

"'Nika!" The Doctor gasped out, as she clenched around him, his head falling back onto the pillow. "Come on, love, almost there." He growled, reaching out and curving a hand around her hip.

"Theta." The Priestess whimpered, her nails digging into his chest as she rocked above him. "I… Oh, I need…"

"I know." The Doctor said, soothingly, and cupped the back of her head, pulling her down to press against her mouth, swallowing her moans and whimpers. "I'll get you there." His fingers slid from her hips along the silky skin of her belly, his thumb circling around her clit, the bedroom filling with her cries of pleasure. A deep chuckle rose from his chest. "Almost there, love?"

"_Yes_." She hissed. _Please, Theta, my Theta, my Bondmate, please let me come, I need to come._

_Naughty little thing, aren't you?_ The Doctor growled, watching her petite body taking him into her without any trouble, proudly, the sight almost enough to bring him to his knees if he were standing. _You look amazing, lovely girl. Feel so good. So warm. So hot… so tight, love. Scream for me. I wanna hear you. _

The Priestess gasped out something unintelligible when she sank back down on him again. Her nails raked lines down his chest, leaving red lines scattered across the muscled flesh. She smirked when he shuddered underneath her. _I believe you are almost there, my love. I wonder what it will take for you to finish. _

The Doctor growled and surged upwards, slanting his mouth over hers for a brief, blissful moment, just teasing her, before his lips trailed down her neck to the swells of her breast, his tongue tracing random Gallifreyan endearments on her skin. _My love, my only love, my Bondmate, my friend, beautiful, my queen, my life, my hearts. _"That's it, Annika," The Doctor encouraged, his hips thrusting at just the right angle. "Come for me, love… fall apart for me."

"Theta!"

She shook above him, her head thrown back, her lips parted in a silent scream and her eyes rolling back into her head, as her climax tore through her. Her silken walls clamped down on him like a vice. In nine hundred years, the Doctor could never get over watching this beautiful sight, his lovely Bondmate shattering in his arms. He gritted her teeth, wanting to hold on. His hands gripped her hips and lifted her off of him, both of them hissing at the sensation, tossing her onto the bed, haphazardly, onto her stomach, covering her with his body.

"One last time, love." The Doctor muttered against her shoulder.

His hands slid in between their bodies and spread her legs for him, his hips pressing, deliciously, against the curve of her arse. She moaned, low and long, when the head of his cock nudged against her clit. His hands tightened around her hips, almost to the point of pain, and, with one rock of his hips, slid into her. She gasped for breath as he surged into her, over and over again. His hand slid underneath her body to rub at her clit, urgently, until she whimpered, the pressure coiling low in her stomach. The blood-rushing, convulsive climax hit her on all sides and all she could see was white, somehow wondering how she had managed to not fall unconscious.

It only took him a few more thrusts before he soared over the edge of the cliff and spilled inside of her, rolling around and bringing her along with him to fall onto his chest in bliss. His arms wrapped around her like vices and she curled into him. His hand reached out at his side and managed to drag the blanket from underneath them to throw over their sore, satisfied bodies.

"All in all, nice trip?" The Doctor asked, still breathing heavily.

"Well…" She drawled, feeling the effects of the drug lessen into practically non-existent. "I was drugged with an aphrodisiac by a group who traffics concubines to wealthy men and I have spent the last few hours being thoroughly made love to by my handsome Bondmate." She teased, drawing patterns on his chest with her finger.

The Doctor grinned and stroked her hair. "I'm not handsome, love, but thanks for saying so."

The Priestess raised her head to look at him, strangely. "But you are, Theta. You are, were and always will be the most beautiful man I know." She said, earnestly. "No matter what the human standards for beauty are, you will always be perfect for me."

The Doctor kissed the top of her forehead, gratefully, pride and love for the amazing creature in his arms suddenly overwhelming him. He pulled her flush against his chest.

"But…" The Priestess began. "Perhaps the next time you can take me to a location where we are not required to topple trafficking rings or concern ourselves with aphrodisiacs in our beverages. Just something simple. Perhaps a picnic?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Anything you want."

* * *

A/N: A part of me loves writing original chapters, because they make me feel all the more creative. Of course, another part of me hates them, because I always feel so self-conscious after writing ones. Anyway, I hope you liked this adventure and the dash of smut, because it might just be the last one for this story, unfortunately. I thought the obligatory sex-pollen trope would work well for this couple.


	9. The Empty Child: Hope and Glory

Dream Weaver – Chapter 9

A/N: Hello, here's Jack! I wonder what kind of relationship the Priestess would have with Jack. Will it be friendly, brotherly, slightly romantic?

Replies to Reviews:

lostiesgirl: Thank you so much!

NicoleR85: Here's Jack! Hope you like the chapter!

beulah2013: I like writing original chapters because I get to expand on the characters, you know, who they are, what makes them tick. I just get a bit self-conscious with original chapters because I can't hide behind canon.

The Dreamer: Hopefully, that wasn't a negative comment. I just didn't like Rose in _Father's Day_. Bitch!Rose may make her way back in _The Christmas Invasion_, but I don't plan on having her too hateful again.

ThisIsMeAndYou: Thank you so much! After the last couple of chapters, I thought I might have overdone it with the Rose bashing. I didn't mean too much out of it. Just _Father's Day_, because you can't really get away with not bashing Rose in that episode. I think the Doctor would not want to get in the middle of a Rose-Priestess war in Season 2, mainly, because it's canon. You know, he didn't really do anything to stop the rivalry between Rose and Sarah Jane in _School Reunion_, he just preferred to ignore it. If anything, I don't plan on the Priestess taking any crap from Rose lying down. If Rose says something that the Priestess doesn't like, the Priestess would just put her back in her place. If it got too serious, I might have the Doctor say something to Rose, but I would want the Priestess to stick up for herself rather than have the Doctor do it for her.

Warnings: Not much in this chapter.

* * *

The Empty Child: Hope and Glory

"What's the emergency?" Rose asked, worriedly, as the Doctor and the Priestess ran around the console.

"It's mauve." The Doctor said, simply, as he and the Priestess rushed around the console, as the TARDIS shuddered and shook all around them.

"Mauve?" Rose asked, confused. She stared at the two of them, watching as they controlled the time machine, skilfully.

"It is the universally recognised colour for danger." The Priestess explained, not taking her eyes off the controls.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "What happened to red?"

"That's just humans." The Doctor scoffed. "By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings. All those red alerts, all that dancing." He winked over at the Priestess, who smiled, gently, back at him.

The Priestess pulled the monitor forward, gesturing the object that they were tracking in the Time Vortex, to Rose. "It has a very basic flight computer. The Doctor has hacked in and slaved the TARDIS." She glared over at the Doctor. "Which I do not approve of, by the way. You will hurt her and we might all be killed." She looked at Rose. "Essentially, wherever the object goes, we will follow it."

Rose looked between them. "And how safe is it?" She asked, nervously.

"Totally." The Doctor said, confidently. Then, part of the console exploded, sending sparks flying everywhere. The Priestess glared at the Doctor, brushing a few of the remaining embers off her shirt. "Okay, reasonably." He, hastily, amended. "Should have said reasonably there."

Suddenly, the Priestess tugged the monitor closer, her eyes running across the flight pattern, the Doctor joining her side in a hurry.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor gritted his teeth. "It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us."

Rose walked over to stand slightly behind the Priestess and the Doctor. "What exactly is this thing?" She asked, wondering why they were so eager to chase after it.

"He does not know. He just wants to find it." The Priestess said, dryly. "I believe that is how the next chapter in the story goes."

"Oi, you," The Doctor pointed a finger at her. "Stop it."

The Priestess smiled and cocked her head. "You are losing it." She pressed a button on the console, the TARDIS' rocking increasing with acceleration. "Wrong button, my love." She murmured to the Doctor.

"So, why are we chasing it?" Rose asked, frowning.

"It's mauve and dangerous." The Doctor pointed out.

"And it is around 30 seconds away from the centre of London." The Priestess finished, bluntly, her eyes gazing, intently, at the blueprint of the machine on the monitor.

* * *

When the TARDIS finally materialised, it materialised behind a few dark buildings in the middle of the night.

"Do you know how long we can knock around space without having to bump into Earth?" The Doctor asked, sarcastically.

"Five days? Or is that just when we're out of milk?" Rose asked, smirking.

"Of all the species in all the universe and it has to come out of a cow." The Doctor grumbled, his hand falling to grip the Priestess' like it was the most normal thing in the world.

The three of them started to walk away from the TARDIS.

"Must have come down somewhere quite close." The Doctor mused, looking around.

"At least within a mile." The Priestess chimed in.

The Doctor nodded. "And it can't have been more than a few weeks ago. Maybe a month."

"A month?!" Rose exclaimed, slightly incredulous and angry. "We were right behind it!"

"It was jumping time tracks all over the place," The Doctor said, defensively. "We're bound to be a little bit out. Do _you _wanna drive?"

"No," Rose sniffed. "But I think maybe you should let the Priestess drive from now on." She winked at the Time Lady, who smiled at her. "And exactly… how much is 'a little'?"

"A bit." The Doctor scowled.

"Is that _exactly _a bit?" She asked, teasingly.

"Ish." The Doctor grumbled.

"What's the plan, then? Are you gonna do a scan for alien tech or something?" Rose asked, eagerly.

"Rose," The Doctor explained, slowly, as if he were telling this to a small child. "It hit the middle of London with a very loud bang. We're gonna ask." He showed Rose the black wallet with the psychic paper.

"Doctor John Smith and Doctor Tess Mercer, Ministry of Asteroids?" Rose looked in between the Doctor and the Priestess. "Tess Mercer, where'd you come up with that?"

The Priestess took it from the Doctor's hand. "It is blank." She mused.

"Psychic paper, tells you-"

"Whatever you wish them to see printed on the paper." The Priestess finished. "Yes, I remember. The Celestial Intervention Agency gave it you, I believe. All I can see is white paper." She handed it back to the Doctor.

The Doctor tapped her on the nose, affectionately. "You're just too smart for it." He said, proudly, making her smile, fondly, back at him.

"But Tess Mercer, I get the Tess, it's short for Priestess, but where's Mercer coming from?" Rose asked, curiously.

The Doctor smirked. "The Priestess was always big on mercy… in some cases, of course. Not all of them."

The Priestess sighed. "At least you did not call me Tess D'Urbervilles. I might have had to hurt you." She said, loftily, her hand curling around his bicep.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." The Doctor grinned. He moved over to a door in the side of a wall, using his sonic screwdriver on the lock, attempting break inside.

"Not very Spock, is it? Just asking?" Rose watched him try to get inside.

"Door… music… people." The Doctor shrugged, looking up at the Priestess, who stared down at him. "What d'you think?"

"I think you should do a scan for alien tech." Rose smirked. The Doctor rolled his eyes and continued to use the sonic screwdriver on the door. "Gimme some Spock! For once, would it kill ya?"

"Spock?" The Priestess frowned. "Is that the character from the extra-terrestrial show? Star Wars?"

"Star Trek." Rose corrected.

"How do you know that?" The Doctor asked, incredulously.

The Priestess gave him a withering glare. "I have not been living under a rock for nine hundred years, my dear." _Nine-hundred years, you naughty boy? _She watched in amusement as she could feel the embarrassment and guilt rising from him through their link. _If we are nine-hundred, then there are many years that I have missed. We celebrated your 1000__th__ birthday on Gallifrey, remember? Nine-hundred?_

_It was bad enough her mother was calling me a paedophile. I couldn't very well tell her I was over 1200, now could I? Let's just go with 900, shall we? _

The Priestess sniffed. _I have absolutely no problem with doing so. In that case, I appear younger._

_You're always young._

_Oh, flattery will get you everywhere, my love_.

The Doctor looked over at Rose, who was just waiting for him to finish, his eyes running over her shirt. "Are you sure about that t-shirt?" He asked, his voice uncertain.

Rose looked down at her rather garish Union Jack t-shirt. "Too early to say. I'm taking it out for a spin." She shrugged.

The Doctor glared at his sonic screwdriver and flicked a switch, increasing the intensity of the setting he was using. Rose turned around, feeling as though someone was watching her.

"Mummy?" A child's drawling voice sounded through the alley. Rose looked around for the source of the voice, her brows furrowing. "Mummy?"

The Doctor finally managed to crack the lock and he stood up, opening the door. He allowed the Priestess to go in front of him. He turned to Rose. "Come on if you're coming. Won't take a minute." He told her, before walking through the hatch.

Rose paused, not following him immediately, and continued to look for the source of the voice, her eyes running over every inch of the dark alley.

"Mummy?" Rose looked up to see a small boy standing on one of the roof-tops. Her eyes widened in shock and concern. "Doctor? Priestess? There's a kid up there!" She called out, her voice urgent."

But the Doctor and the Priestess were already inside wherever the hatch led them to. Rose ran around the building, trying to find a way onto the roof, the entire time watched by the child.

* * *

In the darkened corridor, the Doctor grabbed the Priestess' hand and the two followed the sound of voices and music and laughter and smoke. They stepped into a crowded drinking den, full of cigar smoke, boisterous laughter and a woman singing in dulcet tones on the stage.

_For nobody else gave me the thrill, _

_When I have found I love you still, _

_It had to be you, wonderful you..._

* * *

Rose ran up to the building on top of which the child was standing.

"Are you all right up there?" She shouted up at him.

"Mummy?" The child crooned.

Rose pursed her lips and spotted a flight of stairs that went up the side of the building. She rushed up them, gripping the railing tightly.

* * *

_It had to be you_.

The nightclub singer finished the song and the audience applauded, the Doctor and the Priestess applauding as they approached the stage.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" The Doctor called out into the microphone. "Could I have everybody's attention just for a mo? Be very quick, eh... hello!" He waved, cheerily, much to the Priestess' amusement. "Eh... might seem like a stupid question, but has anything fallen from the sky recently?"

There was absolute silence. The Doctor and the Priestess looked around, looking, hopefully, for an answer. Then, the audience started to laugh, loudly. The Doctor and the Priestess stared around at all of them, confusedly.

* * *

Rose finished climbing the staircase, but the steps didn't quite reach the rooftop. Rose gritted her teeth against the wind that hit her in the face and made her eyes water, profusely. The child was standing precariously on the edge, far too close for Rose's comfort.

"Mummy?"

"Okay," Rose looked around, desperately. "Hold on! Don't move!"

The child looked down at her. Suddenly, a rope swung into Rose's sight, going up the side of the building, in the direction of the rooftop. Rose forced herself to make a quick decision and she took a hold of it.

* * *

The audience was still laughing and the Doctor and the Priestess were still looking around at them all.

The Priestess stepped in the line of the microphone. "I apologise, have we said something that is humorous?" She managed to hide her irritation, effortlessly, her smooth voice sounding out the words as if she were asking something else entirely. She knew it wouldn't be conducive to their cause if she got angry at the crowd for seemingly mocking the Doctor and herself with their laughter.

The audience continued to laugh.

"It's just, there's this thing we need to find, would've fallen from the sky a couple of days ago." The Doctor spoke into the microphone.

At that precise moment, a siren sounded throughout the entire drinking den. Like clockwork, everyone began to stand up, abandoning their drinks and cigarettes and the drinking den.

"Would've landed quite near here..." The Doctor continued.

The Priestess looked up at the ceiling in the direction from which the siren seemed to be coming from.

"With a very loud..."

The Priestess swallowed hard and stared, through the massive swarms of people all clamouring and jumping and trampling each other to get out of the building, at the poster tacked to the wall. Her hand shifted to the side and she tugged, insistently, on the Doctor's leather jacket, pulling him in the direction of the poster, bearing the legend 'HITLER WILL SEND NO WARNING'.

"Bang…" The Doctor finished and the two Time Lords closed their eyes in despair.

* * *

Rose was now trying to push herself up the rope, straining against the impossible task of lifting her own body weight against the rope.

"Mummy..."

She puffed and panted as she heaved her body up the rope, wondering exactly how she had thought this would be a good idea and why she had thought she would actually be able to do this.

"Balloon!" The child exclaimed.

The rope finally came away from the side of the building, Rose hanging onto it, rather pathetically. She looked up, following the child's gaze, and she paled when she saw that she was hanging down from a large barrage balloon in the middle of the air. Her grip tightened around the rope, forcing her to resolve not to fall. The terror started to make her tremble and she cried out in fear, looking around.

"Doctor! Doctor! Doctor!" She turned around and saw a group of large planes dropping bombs on an unsuspecting London, making the city look rather dull and dreary until it was lit up by fire, a far cry from the London she had known and she had grown up in. "Okay…" She started, slowly, her face starting to freeze from the cold. "Maybe _not_ this t-shirt."

Her hands threatened to slip, as she was swung around the rope as the planes zoomed around her.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess emerged through the hatch into the drinking den, looking around the dark and lifeless alleyway for some sort of sign of the bubbly blonde girl with the Union Jack splayed across her chest.

"Rose!" They called out, hoping that she would peek out from behind one of the walls.

They rounded a corner into the little side-corridor where the TARDIS was parked. They saw a cat sitting on one of the dustbins. The Time Lords turned around and noticed when it made a small, mewling sound. The Doctor picked up, cradling its gentle body in his hands.

The Doctor looked at the Priestess, briefly, before looking back at the cat. "You know... one day. Just one day, maybe... I'm gonna meet someone who gets the whole 'don't wander off' thing." He scoffed.

The Priestess laughed, her voice low and husky. "With your luck, my love, I would not waste time waiting for someone like that." She whispered, conspiratorially, leaning in to speak in his ear, and patted his arm, comfortingly.

The Doctor shook his head. They both turned when the sound of a ringing phone filled the air, coming from the direction of the TARDIS. The Doctor's brows furrowed and he and the Priestess started at each other, incredulously. The Doctor put the cat down and walked over to the TARDIS, standing in front of the compartment behind which the phone was hidden, the Priestess by his side. They stared at it for a few moments.

"The telephone on the TARDIS' shell was not designed to operate as an actual telephone, am I correct?" The Priestess asked him, slowly.

The Doctor nodded in agreement, staring at the compartment with bewilderment. "How can you be ringing? What's that about? Ringing?" He took his sonic screwdriver out and looked at the Priestess, confused. "What am I supposed to do with a ringing phone?"

"Well, my love, I suppose you could always answer it." She said, slowly, as if she were speaking to a small child.

A girl, silently, came up behind the couple. "Don't answer it. It's not for you."

The Doctor and the Priestess turned to look at the girl, a curious look on their faces.

"And how do you know that?" The Priestess demanded, her hackles rising.

The girl shrugged. "'Cos I do. And I'm tellin' ya… don't answer it."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you know so much, tell me this, how can it be ringing?"

The Priestess narrowed her eyes. "It is not _even_ an actual telephone. It is not _even_ connected," She turned back to stare at the phone.

"It's not even-" The Doctor spun around to face the girl and his eyes widened when he saw that the girt had disappeared. The Doctor paused, confused, then looked back at the phone. "What just happened?" He asked her, incredulously. He sighed and, hesitantly, picked up the phone and held it to his ear. "Hello?" There was silence on the other side, aside from the usual crackling. "This is the Doctor speaking." There was only more crackling. "How may I help you?"

"Mummy?" A child's voice came over the phone.

The Doctor's sceptical grin faded from his face and the Priestess' lips pursed in disapproval and worry.

"Mummy?"

"Who is this?" The Doctor demanded, his eyes narrowing. "Who's speaking?"

"Who's speaking?"

"Who is this?" The Doctor growled into the phone, his voice forceful.

"Mummy?"

After that, there was silence on the other end.

"How did you _ring_ here? This isn't a real phone, it's not wired up to anything, it's-"

The Doctor didn't have the chance to finish explaining why the phone call was impossible, when the child began to speak again.

"Mummy?" And the line went dead.

The Doctor, slowly, replaced the phone in its compartment and stared at the Priestess, grimacing. He poked his head inside the open door of the TARDIS.

"Rose? Rose, are you in there?" The Doctor called out.

There was a crashing sound from behind them and the Doctor and the Priestess turned around in interest. They closed the phone compartment and they ran to follow the sound, hurrying out of the bleak alleyway and into an even bleaker street.

* * *

Following the sound of the voices, the Doctor gripped the Priestess by her very small waist, marvelling at his hands fitting completely around her waist, the fingers on each opposite hand touching each other, and lifted her onto the dustbin. He jumped on top, mindful of both of their weights on the metal trash can, and the two looked over the garden wall at a fat woman, ushering a small boy into a shelter.

"Come on, come on, get in there." The woman turned around towards her house. "Arthur! Arthur! Will you hurry up? Didn't you hear the sirens?" She hollered.

A fat man emerged from the house. "Middle of dinner, every night. Bloomin' Germans." He looked up. "Don't you eat?" He yelled skywards.

The Doctor and the Priestess smiled at that.

"I can hear the planes!" The woman shouted.

"Don't you eat?!" The man shouted to the sky again.

"Oh, keep your voice down, will ya?" The woman rolled her eyes. "There's an air raid!" She pushed him into the shelter, following him down there. "Get in... there's a war on."

"I know there is-"

Once the old married couple were inside and shut the door closed, the brunette girl from the alley crept out from behind the bomb shelter and into the back door of the house, unaware that the Doctor and the Priestess were watching her with suspicion and interest.

* * *

Rose was suspended hundreds of feet above London, carried by the rope hanging down from the barrage balloon. She cried out, terrified, as the planes whizzed past her, holding on for dear life.

There was an explosion right below her and the resulting aftershock set her off, forcing her to let go of the rope. She fell, screaming. Suddenly, a blue beam shot out of nowhere and enveloped her, stopping her steady and scary descent to the ground. A strong, male voice emitted from the source of the beam.

"Okay, okay, I've got you." The man said, attempting to be soothing.

Rose swallowed and looked around, slightly horrified at the thought of floating in the air. "Who's got me? Who's got me, and you know... how?" She asked, unsurely.

"I'm just programming your descent pattern." The man explained. "Keep as still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field."

"Descent pattern?" Rose asked, incredulously.

"Oh, and could you switch off your cellphone?" A disbelieving noise fell from Rose's lips and she shook. "No, seriously, it interferes with my instrument."

Rose gritted her teeth and fumbled inside her jacket for her phone. "You know, no-one ever believes that." She snapped, pressing a button on the device to switch it off.

"Thank you. That's much better."

"Oh, yeah, that's a real load off, that is. I'm hanging in the sky in the middle of a German air raid with the Union Jack across my chest, but hey! My mobile phone's off!" Rose shrieked, slightly hysterically, feeling slightly stupid that she was talking to someone who she couldn't see.

The man laughed. "Be with you in a moment." There was a pause. "Ready for you. Hold tight!"

"To what?!" Rose called out, incredulously.

There was another pause. "Fair point."

Rose zoomed feet first down the tunnel of the blue light, her fingers digging into the hem of her jacket as she screamed.

And the next moment, Rose found herself held in strong arms, her eyes still closed shut.

"I've got you!" Rose coughed. "You're fine, you're just fine. The tractor beam, it can scramble your head just a little."

Rose, hesitantly, started to open her eyes and they widened when she noticed how remarkably good-looking he was. His eyes were a piercing grey and his jaw was chiselled and well-defined.

"Hello." Rose said, breathlessly, a slight laugh coming up from her throat.

The man raised his eyebrows and looked her up and down, appreciatively, gazing at the way her body was hugged in those jeans. "Hello." He rumbled.

"Hello." Rose said, still gazing at him, a small smile forming on her face. The man raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Sorry, that was hello twice there. Dull, but you know, thorough."

"Are you all right?" The man asked.

"Fine!" Rose exclaimed, her voice slightly high-pitched. The man set Rose back on her feet and Rose grinned at him. "Why, are you expecting me to faint or something?"

"Well, you do look a little dizzy..." The man trailed off.

"What about you? You're not even focused..." Rose's eyes widened. "Oh, boll-"

The man laughed and Rose's eyes rolled back up into her head, fainting dead in his arms, her entire body going limp. The man, still smiling in amusement, lifted her torso and legs onto a bed attached to the wall.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess watched from the top of the fence as groups of children ran down into the house, which the fat man and woman had just abandoned and which Nancy had just broken into. After a while, several children were gathered around the table in the dining room of the abandoned house, as the brunette girl cut the meat on the table.

"It's _got _to be black market." One of the boys scoffed. "He couldn't get all this on coupons."

"Ernie, how many times?" The brunette girl said, severely. "We are guests in this house. We will not make comments of that kind. Washing up."

The other children laughed at Ernie, enjoying him being told off by the brunette girl.

"Oh, Nancy!" Ernie complained.

Nancy frowned, looking at an unfamiliar face that lined the ones around the dining table. "Haven't seen _you _at one of these before."

The boy nodded at another boy. "He told me about it."

"Sleeping rough?"

"Yes, miss." The boy nodded.

"All right then." Nancy shook her head. She passed the plate of sliced meat around the table. "One slice each, and I want to see everyone chewing properly." She said, sternly.

"Thank ya, miss!"

"Thanks, miss!"

"Thank you miss."

"Thanks, miss!" The Doctor said, cheerfully. He and the Priestess had managed to sneak in through the same back door and he had managed to grab a seat, sitting quite reluctantly, after the Priestess had practically forced him into the chair after their long mental argument of who should sit down. He had been insistent that she take the seat and she had told him that she didn't pander to that "chivalrous stupidity" and that "if she needed a chair, she would take one herself, she did not need to be given one" and had taken a place behind him, resting her arms on the top of the chair.

The children gasped in surprise, rearing back and staring at the two adults with horror.

"It's all right! Everybody stay where you are!" Nancy said, sternly, glaring over at the Doctor and the Priestess.

One of the boys stared at the Doctor with enough shock that his mouth remained open, a piece of meat falling from his lips.

"Good here, innit? Who's got the salt?" The Doctor looked up, expectantly.

"Back in your seats! He shouldn't be here either." Nancy said, suspiciously.

The Doctor smiled and helped himself to some sauce. He cut a piece off and held it up on a fork in the Priestess' direction. She smiled and shook her head, refusing the food.

"So, you lot... what's the story?" The Doctor asked, looking at all of the children, intently.

"What d'you mean?" Ernie asked.

"You're homeless, right? Living rough?"

"Why d'you wanna know that? Are you a copper?" Another boy demanded.

"Of course I'm not a copper. What's a copper gonna do with you lot anyway? Arrest you for starving?" The Doctor joked and all of the children laughed. The Priestess smiled, fondly, at the happy expressions on their gaunt faces. "I make it 1941, you lot shouldn't be in London."

"By this time," The Priestess began, her voice soft. "You should have been evacuated to the country."

"I was evacuated." One of the boys nodded. "They sent me to a farm."

The Priestess cocked her head in confusion. "In that case, why did you return to London?"

"There was a man there..." The boy began.

"Yeah, same with Ernie. Two homes ago."

"Shut up. It's better on the streets anyway. Better food." Ernie scowled.

"Yeah. Nancy always gets the best food for us."

The Doctor smiled at Nancy. "So, that's what you do is it, Nancy?"

"What is?"

"As soon as the sirens start, you find a large meal fit for a family, still warm on the table, in an abandoned home, while the residents are down in the air raid shelter and…" The Priestess trailed off, her pride and wonder showing bright in her dark eyes.

"Bingo!" The Doctor finished, his hands coming over to cover the Priestess' slender fingers, which were on his shoulders. "Feeding frenzy for the homeless kids of London Town. Puddings for all! As long as the bombs don't get you."

"Something wrong with that?" Nancy asked, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive position.

"Wrong with it?" The Doctor's eyes widened. "It's _brilliant_. I'm not sure if it's Marxism in action or a West End musical." He mused.

The children looked confused, wondering what he meant by that.

"Why'd you follow me? What d'you want?" Nancy asked, crossly.

"We want to know how a phone that is not actually a phone receives a phone call. And you seem to be the one to ask." The Priestess said, simply, narrowing her eyes at Nancy.

"I did you a favour. I told you not to answer it, that's all I'm telling ya." Nancy scowled.

"Great, thanks." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "And we wanna find a blonde in a Union Jack. I mean a specific one, we didn't just wake up this morning with a craving." He chuckled, making the Priestess smile at the rumbling sound.

The children laughed, however, Nancy did not look at all impressed by the joke and stood up.

"Anybody seen a girl like that?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

Nancy took his plate away, triumphantly.

"You took two slices." She said, simply, and the children laughed.

"Well, there are two of us." The Priestess pointed out, slowly. "I believe that is a reason for him to take two slices."

Nancy glared at her and the Priestess remained silent, her eyes dark with humour. "No blondes, no flags. Anything else before you two leave?"

"Yes, there is actually." The Priestess said, lightly. "Thank you for asking. There is an object that we have been searching for. It would have fallen from the sky around a month before, but it is not a bomb."

The Doctor took a notebook out of his pocket. "Not the usual kind anyway. Wouldn't have exploded. Would've just buried itself in the ground somewhere, and it would've looked something like..." He started to draw a rough sketch of the object they had been tracking from the TARDIS. "This." He finished, showing them the scribbled drawing.

Nancy looked at it, intently, something significant changing in her eyes. The Priestess caught the change and she frowned at Nancy, wondering if the girl knew more than what she was saying. She narrowed her eyes, wondering if that mysterious phone call had anything to do with the object they had been following.

There was a knock on window, just then, and all of the children gasped, a fearful look forming in their eyes, as they looked up at the window.

"Mummy? Are you in there, mummy?"

The Priestess frowned and turned around, as the Doctor rose, and they went over to the window, pulling the curtain aside. They recoiled just slightly when they saw a little boy with a gas mask strapped to his face, just standing there and knocking.

"Mummy?"

"Who was the last one in?" Nancy asked the children, urgently, her eyes wild with unease.

"Them." Ernie said, gesturing the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Nah," Nancy shook her head. "They came round the back. Who came in the front?"

"Me." One of the boys whispered, guiltily.

"Did you close the door?" Nancy demanded.

"I…" The boy stuttered.

"Did you close the door?" Nancy snapped again.

"Mummy? Mummy?" The little boy's shadow loomed outside the door, frightening the children even further. "Mummy." The little boy sang.

* * *

Nancy rushed down the hallway of the abandoned house and shut and bolted the door before the child could walk inside. She backed away, a terrified look entering her eyes, looking at the shadow of the child outside the door with unreadable eyes. The Doctor and the Priestess came up behind her.

"What's this, then? It's never easy being the only child left out in the cold, you know." The Doctor said, slightly coldly. They had been so proud of Nancy just a little while ago and now she was here, shutting a little boy outside in the dark, while bombs rained down on London.

"I suppose you'd know." Nancy scoffed.

"We do actually." The Priestess nodded and the Doctor reached in between their bodies to take her hand, smiling, pleasantly, at the Doctor.

"It's not exactly a child." Nancy said, hesitantly.

"Mummy?"

Nancy grimaced and pushed past the Doctor and went back into the dining room, joining the children again. She looked at all of the children, who were still seated in their seats.

"Right, everybody out, across the back garden and under the fence." Nancy said, sternly. They just stared at her, unheeding her instructions. "Now! Go! Move!" She shouted, her voice dead serious.

They all jumped out of their seats and ran out of the door, while Nancy put her coat on, except for one little girl. Nancy frowned and kneeled beside the frightened girl.

"Come on, baby. You've got to go. Okay? It's just like a game. Just like chasing." She said, soothingly. "Take your coat, go on." The little girl ran after the other children. "Go!" She called out after her.

The Doctor and the Priestess watched them pass, slightly confused of why Nancy was so terrified of this little boy and why she was ordering all of the children to leave the house, suddenly.

"Mummy?" The child called out.

The Doctor and the Priestess looked at each other, worriedly, and the Doctor took a few, hesitant steps towards the door.

"Please let me in, mummy." The little boy stuck his hand through the letterbox, revealing a bright red, raw scar on the back of his perfectly ordinary little pale hand. The Priestess felt something inside of her ache when she saw the wound, her hand rubbing her chest. "Please let me in, mummy."

"Are you all right?" The Doctor called out, worriedly.

"Please let me in."

Suddenly, a projectile flew past both the Doctor and the Priestess and hit the door, which smashed, forcing the child to withdraw his hand.

"You mustn't let him touch ya!" Nancy shouted.

"What will happen if he touches us?" The Priestess asked, quietly.

"He'll make you like him." Nancy said, nodding at the door.

The Doctor frowned. "And what's he like?" He asked, carefully.

Nancy stepped away, her hands fidgeting at her side. "I've gotta go."

"Nancy," The Doctor started again, his voice slightly sharper. "What's he like?"

The three looked at each other.

"He's empty." Nancy said, softly, after a pause. The phone rang and the Doctor's and the Priestess' eyes were immediately drawn to it. "It's him." Nancy said, quickly. "He can make phones ring, he can. Just like with that police box you saw."

The Doctor pursed his lips and he stared at the Priestess, asking her with his eyes whether he should answer the phone or not.

_I think you should answer the phone. We will not understand what is happening here if we do not._ The Priestess told him, lightly, but her voice brimmed with something else entirely, in his mind.

The Doctor nodded and picked up the phone.

"Are you my mummy?" The child called out over the phone.

Nancy snatched the phone off the Doctor, furiously, and slammed it back down onto the receiver. The radio turned itself on, the static sounding through the air. It started to play music then, but with the child's voice coming across the static.

"Mummy? Please let me in, mummy."

The Priestess frowned, leaning in front of the radio, and turning the dial to tune it, seeing if she could get a different frequency. The Doctor placed a hand on hers, stilling her, when a toy monkey sprung to life, banging its cymbals to a beat.

"Mummy? Mummy, mummy…"

The Doctor picked up the monkey and observed it, intently, wondering what was making it run.

"Stay if you want to." Nancy said, after a moment, before leaving.

"Mummy, mummy, mummy..." The child stuck its hand through the letterbox. "Mummy? Let me in please, mummy..."

The Doctor knelt in front of the door, the Priestess coming up behind him. They stared at the scarred little hand with a great deal of concern in their eyes.

"_Please_ let me in." The child begged.

The Doctor paused. "Your mummy isn't here." He said, slowly.

The child waited a moment before speaking again. "Are you my mummy?"

"No mummies here." The Doctor looked up and swallowed hard, feeling a sharp pain strike both of his hearts when he saw the Priestess flinch. _'Nika, love…_ "None be here but us chickens." He looked behind him at the rest of the abandoned house, realising that he and the Priestess were the only ones in the house. He grinned at the closed door. "Well, _this _chicken."

"I'm scared." The child answered.

"Why are those other child frightened of you?" The Doctor asked, carefully.

"Please let me in, mummy. I'm scared of the bombs."

The Doctor thought for moment, weighing up all of his options and sensing that the Priestess had absolutely no answer. "Okay. I'm opening the door now."

The child withdrew his hand from the letterbox. The Doctor paused, his hands hesitating over the doorknob, and he drew back the bolts and opened the door, the two of them stepping out onto the porch in the chilly night.

The two of them looked around, paling when they saw that the child had disappeared.

* * *

A/N: Sorry, we didn't have Jack in this chapter. I thought it would be good to have my TL with the Doctor through this episode, because after that last one, I doubt he'd let her out of his sight ;) I hope you like the relationship between Rose and the Priestess. I'm trying to give them a tentative friendship which should strengthen over the course of the story. Of course, this might change during Season 2. In my opinion, I don't think Rose started to fall in love with the Doctor until after he regenerated. And she'll definitely be making some jealous comments in Season 2.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!


	10. The Empty Child: Firestorm

Dream Weaver – Chapter 10

A/N: Finally, we'll have Jack. And a slight answer about why the Priestess flinched at the end of the last chapter. I wonder how the Priestess will react when she sees Jack. Hope you all like the chapter!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Unfortunately, I will not be able to update for awhile, everyone. I have too many things going on at the moment and I haven't been able to write a single thing in over a month. I can't promise you when I'll be able to update but I'm hoping for sometime around the end of September when I get my mid-semester break. This goes for _The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_ as well. I won't update either story for a little while. I will reply to all of your reviews through a PM if you have an account on the site, but if you want to say something, comment or just talk, you can definitely reach me on my Tumblr. See you guys soon!

Replies to Reviews:

EmmieRaeJean: I'm fairly sure that the relationship between Jack and the Priestess will be sibling-esque, more because I need them to have that sort of relationship for _Utopia, The Sound of Drums _and _Last of the Time Lords_. Stuff will happen in those chapters where the Priestess will need someone else other than the Doctor to help her through it. I won't have the Doctor explicitly in love with Rose because that would never happen with the Priestess around, but there might be misunderstandings by some people. Just because I can't have a relationship with no problems whatsoever. I liked Rose in Season 1 and I'm sure I would have approved of the Doctor and Rose as a couple if the Doctor hadn't regenerated. I've said before that I prefer 9/Rose as a couple because they had a sweet, slightly more mature tone to their relationship. Season 2 and Rose bothered me for a lot of reasons. It was like Rose's character deteriorated and she didn't really act 20, she acted more like she was 13 or something. She constantly put people down and she was vicious, like Regina George. I realised how damning that one comment in _Rise of the Cybermen _was when she said "Maybe Lucy's a bit thick". I got really annoyed when I heard her say that. I mean, okay, fine, she was jealous but she didn't have to put down this girl who she didn't even know. I mean, it wasn't her universe and she had the arrogance to think she knew more about a parallel universe than the person who had been living in it. It was like Season 2's Rose took jealousy to a really bitchy level. Same thing in _School Reunion_, in the computer room, Rose went straight for Sarah's jugular, making really bitchy comments that were really childish. Season 4 Rose had the whole "collateral damage is okay" thing about her. As long as the end result was fine, I don't think she cared anything else. I don't approve of the Dimension Cannon at all because I think that was the reason the Daleks got through the Time Lock. I mean, if there was a safe way to get through to another universe, I'm sure the Doctor would have done so to get Rose back. Don't worry about the rant, I love getting into them. The Priestess will meet Mickey in _Boom Town_ don't worry and Season 2's Priestess will be on Mickey's side.

crossMIRAGE19: I did know the reference and I did it on purpose! I love Tess, she's freaking awesome and I actually thought about making Cassidy Freeman one of the Priestess' regenerations but I decided against her for the moment. Maybe one of my future TLs. I'm glad you think the Priestess is like Tess. They both are fiercely loyal to the ones they care about but they're also willing to do what's necessary.

beulah2013: That's fair. I mean, it's my view on their relationship. I just thought they had more of an unrequited thing in Season 1 on the Doctor's part. I thought maybe Rose had considered it early on but had let it go because of the obvious age difference and Mickey.

DRWfangirl: She will have different feelings for Jack in these two episodes because of the circumstances, since, essentially, it is Jack's fault that all of this is happening. But she will warm up to him and they will become close. Remember, she has already dreamt of him. He's now a puzzle she needs to solve :)

masterdude94: Thank you so much! I thought it was a neat reference to include. That quote will definitely be in it. My 9 is 1200 mostly because the Doctor's age seems to be a contentious issue. New Who seems to go against Classic Who in that aspect so I'm having the Doctor pretend he's 900 when he's really 1200. It's good for the Priestess, makes her seem younger.

NicoleR85: Thank you so much! Hope you like Jack in this chapter.

The Dreamer: Yep, 10 being protective of the Priestess will definitely happen in Season 2.

Mrs Sorbo: Thank you so much!

Guest: I know, I wish I could go completely original. I do plan on doing a oneshot collection for this series. How they met, how they got together etc. The original chapter gave me the ability to flesh out their relationship more. You did make me consider a more neutral view of approaching the Rose storyline and I will take it into account when I'm writing the next story. I have said before that Rose and the Priestess will have a decent friendship in this story but that will change in Season 2 only because Rose's character seemed to change so drastically in Season 2 in canon. They'll be somewhat cordial to each other because some of the choices that Rose makes will irk the Priestess and they will have a grudging friendship and united in their desire to see the Doctor happy and healthy. Will they have the same kind of relationship that is in this story? Probably not, mostly because I think Rose changed for the worse in Season 2. She made some really strange and questionable choices, like going so far as to manhandle a little girl in _Fear Her. _I have said before that I prefer 9/Rose to 10/Rose because there was a more mature feeling to their relationship. 10/Rose felt more like a really man teen rom-com movie than anything else. I always felt like 9/Rose was more unrequited than anything, but maybe Rose was just really good at keeping her feelings for that Doctor secret. I don't think the same thing should happen with Clara, mostly because it's the opposite of what happened to 9 and 10. For them, it went from old to young and that appealed to Rose. For Clara, 11 went from young to old, so any crush she has on the Doctor might change into a really nice and thorough friendship. I really want to see one companion not screwed up by the Doctor and leave just as happy and fulfilled as they were when they entered the TARDIS and I think that might be Clara. And thank you so much for your belief!

Warnings: Lots of Jack flirting, Possessive Doctor.

* * *

The Empty Child: Firestorm

_The Doctor thought for moment, weighing up all of his options and sensing that the Priestess had absolutely no answer. "Okay. I'm opening the door now."_

_The child withdrew his hand from the letterbox. The Doctor paused, his hands hesitating over the doorknob, and he drew back the bolts and opened the door, the two of them stepping out onto the porch in the chilly night._

_The two of them looked around, paling when they saw that the child had disappeared._

The Doctor pursed his lips and dragged the Priestess back inside and locked the door behind him. He checked the entire house to make sure there were no more children inside and went back to the entrance hall to find the Priestess, leaning her back against the door, her eyes closed shut.

"'Tess?" The Doctor called out, carefully, and the Priestess' eyes snapped open. He almost stepped back, half expecting to see them swirled with gold. "Is somethin' the matter?" He sighed, realising what was troubling her. "Sorry, love, shouldn't have said that." He said, mournfully.

The Priestess shook her head. "But you were correct. I mean, I am no longer a mother." She said, quietly, her hearts wrenching, painfully, with every word she spoke.

The Doctor sighed, feeling a similar tightening in his chest, and he stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against his chest, her small body fitting neatly against his, practically burrowing inside his leather jacket. "Priestess, you'll always be a mother. Just like I'll always be a father." He said, quietly, smoothing down her hair, marvelling at the softness. "Just because they're…gone…" He felt the Priestess wince in his arms and felt the answering hurt rip at his stomach. "… Doesn't mean we're not parents. We'll always be parents, because they'll always be our kids. And we'll always love them, won't we?"

The Priestess nodded into his jacket and she tightened her arms around him. The Doctor pulled back, cupping her face in his hands, one of his thumbs stroking her cheekbone, reverently. He leaned down and slanted his mouth over hers, licking at her lips with his tongue. He smiled against her mouth when he felt her respond to him. The Priestess' hand slid up his arm and curled around his wrist, keeping her hands on his face. Her other hand came up to cup his jaw and she, eagerly, pressed back against him, feeling the stirrings of arousal start to burn low in her stomach, cursing her hormones and the way she ached for him, knowing that he ached, similarly, for her as well. It seemed that after he had found and rescued her from Van Statten's museum, they hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other since the first time they had made love after that mess with the Reapers. He hadn't been able to let her out of his arms for longer than a moment after that initial lovemaking and his protectiveness and possessiveness had only increased after that mishap with the aphrodisiac on Venna XII.

She tipped her head back, slightly, and allowed him to continue kissing her.

* * *

Rose started to wake up, her vision still swimming and her entire body sore. Her eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar surroundings and she looked around, worriedly, wondering if she had been kidnapped or worse.

"Better now?" A male voice called out from the side.

Rose peeked out of the little alcove she had been lying inside and saw the very handsome man, who had caught her as she was falling through the blue beam, sitting in a chair at the front of whatever machine they were inside of.

"You got lights in here?" She asked, slowly.

The man obligingly turned a switch that was on the wall and the lights blared on, allowing Rose to see better through the darkness.

"Hello." The man said, smiling over at her.

"Hello." Rose said, with just the slightest amount of shyness colouring her voice.

"Hello." The man's smile grew, remembering their exchange before Rose had collapsed.

Rose hid her smile and cleared her throat. "Let's not start that again."

The man chuckled. "Okay."

Rose tugged on the hem of her shirt, self-consciously, and took a few, hesitant steps in the man's direction.

"So, um... who're you supposed to be, then?" She asked, slowly.

"Captain Jack Harkness. 133 Squadron Royal Airforce, American Volunteer." The man handed her a piece of paper, which was supposed to be a ID card.

Rose looked at it and the smile spread across her face. "Liar." She smirked. Jack paused and raised an eyebrow. "This is psychic paper. It tells me whatever you want it to tell me."

Jack sat back in his chair, gifting her with a surprised and confused expression, caught-out by her words. "How do you know?"

"Two things. One, I have friends who use this all the time." Rose told him.

"Ah." Jack nodded.

"And two," Rose hesitated. "You just handed me a piece of paper telling me you're single and you work out." She grinned, slightly, at the end of the sentence.

Jack looked slightly sheepish and his hand reached out to take the psychic paper back from her. "Tricky things, psychic paper."

"Yeah," Rose nodded. "Can't let your mind wander when you're handing it over."

Jack looked down at the paper and smirk started to curve his lips upwards. "Oh, you 'sort of' have a boyfriend called Mickey Smith but you consider yourself to be footloose and fancy free."

Rose started to laugh, embarrassed. "What-?"

"Actually," Jack amended. "The word you use is 'available'." Jack smirked at her and his eyes twinkled, playfully.

Rose shook her head, grinning wide. "No way…"

"And another one… 'very'." He continued to stare at her with raised eyebrows.

Rose stood up, embarrassed by the turn of the exchange. "Shall we uh... try and get along _without_the psychic paper?"

Jack also stood. "That would be better, wouldn't it?"

Rose looked around the spacecraft, admiring the sleekness of the walls and controls. "Nice spaceship."

"Gets me around." Jack shrugged.

Rose ran a hand along the ceiling, looking thoughtful. "Very… Spock." She looked at him, hoping he would know who he was referring to.

"Who?" Jack frowned.

Rose cracked a smile. "Guessing you're not a local boy, then."

Jack peeked at the device strapped to his wrist. "A cell phone, a liquid crystal watch, and fabrics that won't be around for at least another two decades... guessing you're not a local girl." He countered.

Rose crawled into the pilot seat of the spaceship, looking around the control panel with interest. "Guessing right."

She reached out to touch something on the ceiling and winced, pulling her hand back, sharply, when a burning sensation started to sting her hands. She gasped in pain and turned her palm around, frowning at the burn marks on the otherwise unblemished skin.

"Burn your hands on the rope?" Jack called out, knowingly.

"Yeah." Rose frowned as she looked out of the large window in front of the dashboard. "We're parked in midair! Can't anyone down there see us?"

"No. Can I have a look at your hands for a moment?" Jack asked, lightly.

Rose sat back down in the chair and raised her eyebrow, suspiciously. "Why?"

"Please?" Jack came over to sit next to her. Rose held her hands out and he ran a device over them. "You can stop acting now. I know exactly who you are. I can spot a Time Agent a mile away." He said, lowly.

"Time Agent?" Rose's eyes widened.

"I've been expecting one of you guys to show up. Though, not, I must say, by barrage balloon. Do you often travel that way?" He joked.

"Sometimes I get swept off my feet. By balloons." Rose smiled, shyly, at him.

Jack took a scarf out and wrapped it, gingerly, around Rose's wrists, keeping her arms still.

"What're you doing?" Rose asked, worriedly.

"Try to keep still." Jack said, reassuringly.

He finished binding her hands and leaned over her lap to press a button over her head. They caught each other's eyes, both very aware of how close they were, a redness tinging Rose's cheeks. There was a light beeping nose and what looked like tiny golden fireflies appeared out of nowhere above her open palms.

"Nanogenes. Sub-atomic robots. The air in here's full of them." Jack explained.

Rose was pleasantly amazed as the Nanogenes worked their magic on the scorch marks on her palms, swallowing as the tingling soothed her sore and irritated skin. Jack pressed the same switch again and the Nanogenes dissolved into the air.

"They just repaired three layers of your skin." Jack said, smugly, and untied the scarf around her wrists.

Rose laughed, amazement clear in her voice. "Well, tell them thanks!"

Jack stepped to his feet, smiling. "We'll get down to business."

Rose raised an eyebrow, a worrisome thought of whether she was in over her head occurring to her. "Business?"

Jack picked up a bottle of champagne and brandished it at her. "Shall we have a drink on the balcony?" He asked, his voice low and inviting.

Not taking his eyes off her for a second, he pressed a button somewhere on the console and stepped onto the small staircase that descended from the ceiling. He started to move upwards.

"Bring up the glasses." He ordered, before disappearing up the stairs and onto the roof of the spaceship.

He emerged onto the top of the invisible spaceship and uncorked the bottle. Rose, looking slightly unsteady as she ascended the stairs, held out two glasses, staring up into the night sky and her eyes widening as she realised they were parked right in front of Big Ben.

Rose laughed, nervously, eyeing the floor with worry. "I'm standing on something..."

Jack chuckled and then took a device out of his pocket. He flicked a switch and the chrome exterior of his spaceship started to reveal itself under their feet.

"Okay... you have an invisible spaceship..." Rose trailed off.

"Yeah…" Jack nodded, eyeing her, strangely. _She doesn't look like a normal Time Agent_.

"Tethered up to Big Ben for some reason..." Rose mused, looking up at the golden light that seemed to emanate from the giant clock.

Jack shrugged. "First rule of active camouflage. Park somewhere you'll remember."

He popped the cork out of the champagne bottle with a loud bang, champagne spilling everywhere into light, golden bubbles. Rose whooped, loudly, and Jack laughed, filling up two glasses to the brim with the airy liquid.

* * *

Nancy hurried across the train tracks, her feet stomping through the eerie wasteland. She hurried into an outer house and started to take out piles of food from the satchel around her waist. She suddenly turned around, hearing a sound from behind her, and her eyes widened when she saw the Doctor and the Priestess standing in the doorway, watching her with interest and suspicion.

"How'd you follow me here?" Nancy asked, roughly.

The Doctor shrugged. "I'm good at following, me. Got the nose for it."

Nancy raised an eyebrow, suspiciously. "People can't usually follow me if I don't want them to."

"My nose has special powers." The Doctor joked.

"Yeah? That's why it's uh..." Nancy trailed off, realising that what she wanted to end the sentence with might be taken as an insult.

The Priestess pursed her lips as the edges quirked upwards, guessing what Nancy was about to say.

"What?" The Doctor asked, slightly wounded. He was immediately mollified by the Priestess curling a hand around his bicep and rubbing his arm, affectionately.

"Nothing." Nancy said, shaking her head.

"What?" The Doctor asked, persistently.

"Nothing! Do your ears have special powers too?" Nancy asked, teasingly.

A small laugh spilled from the Priestess' lips, reluctantly, and the Doctor turned to look at her with suspicion. He, then, turned to look back at Nancy.

"What're you trying to say?" The Doctor asked, calmly.

Nancy smiled. "Goodnight, Mister, Ma'am." And she turned away.

_I feel entirely too young to be a 'ma'am'._ The Priestess told the Doctor.

The Doctor snorted. _We're over 900 years old, love. Stop fooling yourself. Just 'cause you look like a sexy 20-year-old._

The Priestess smiled at the compliment. _I do, correct? Although, I prefer your brand of beauty, beloved._

The Doctor cracked a smile. _After what she just said about my nose and my ears. And you laughed._ He told her, accusingly.

A smile played on the Priestess' lips and she sent him all the appreciation for his looks she possibly could and the Doctor grinned as his mind was filled with flashes of pink and light red and reddish-orange and memories of how filled with awe and appreciation she had been the first moment she had seen him in that makeshift dungeon in Van Statten's bunker and the lust that had thrummed through her body . She showed him the moment she had met him first, in the Academy, how handsome he had been to her. She showed how her feelings had only increased between the latter and the former, not decreased.

_You're fantastic, d'you know that?_

_I better be._ The Priestess retorted.

The Doctor turned back to Nancy. "Nancy. There's something chasing you and the other kids. Looks like a boy and it isn't a boy, and it started about a month ago, right?"

Nancy turned back to look at the strange couple with shock and a slight amount of fear at being caught out.

"The object that we are searching for. The object that fell from the sky, a month ago would be around the time when it landed. And you know what I am speaking of, am I correct?" The Priestess asked, softly.

Nancy gave a shaky nod, her nails digging into her palm as she slightly shivered from the chilly air. She stared at the woman, eyeing her exposed skin in that barely-there shirt and denim trousers and wondering why she wasn't as cold as Nancy was. "There was a bomb. A bomb that wasn't a bomb. Fell the other end of Limehouse Green Station."

The Doctor nodded. "Take us there." He ordered.

Nancy shook her head. "There's soldiers guarding it, barbed wire... you'll never get through."

The Priestess smiled, slowly and secretively. "We have our ways." She purred.

Nancy gave them a hesitant look. "You sure you two wanna know what's going on in there?"

The Doctor smirked. "We really wanna know."

Nancy swallowed. "Then there's someone you need to talk to first."

The Priestess frowned. "And who might that be?"

"The Doctor." Nancy said.

The Doctor's and the Priestess' brows furrowed and they looked at each for confirmation that Nancy had actually said those specific words. Nancy turned away, beginning to lead them in a certain direction, and the Priestess and the Doctor shared a bemused smile and the Doctor let out a quiet, stunned laugh, clearly confused.

* * *

Rose and Jack were sitting on top of the spaceship, taking slow sips of the champagne. Rose jumped to her feet and turned to look at Jack.

"You know, it's getting a bit late. I should really be getting back." She said, hesitantly.

"We're discussing business." Jack pointed out, a cheesy grin forming on his face.

Rose smiled. "This isn't business. This is champagne." She teased.

"I try never to discuss business with a clear head." Jack stood up and walked over to her. "Are you travelling alone? Are you authorised to negotiate with me?" He asked, lowly, every trace of amusement and charm draining from his voice and instead being replaced with severity and charisma.

"What would we be negotiating?" Rose asked, slowly, deciding to play along for the meantime.

"I have something for the Time Agency. Something they'd like to buy. Are you in power to make payment?"

"Well, I - I should talk to my... companions." Rose stammered.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Companions?"

"Yeah, I should really be getting back to them."

"Them?"

Rose laughed out of worry. "Do you have the time?"

Jack cleared his throat, noticeably, and took the device out of his pocket and flicked a switch. The Big Ben flared brightly, the glow of the clock contrasting again the night sky, and started to chime right next to them, loudly, blaring in their ears.

"Okay, that was flash." Rose laughed again, this time out of amazement. "Th-that was on the flash side."

Jack slid closer to her, smoothly, and his hands fell to her waist. "So... when you say 'companions', just how disappointed should I be?" He asked, teasingly.

"Okay…" Rose said, thoughtfully, her eyebrows furrowing. "We're standing in midair..." Jack hummed in agreement. "On a spaceship... during a German air raid..." She bit her lip, wondering if she was doing the right thing. "Do you really think now's a good time to be coming on to me...?"

Rose's voice faltered, slightly, as Jack entwined their fingers and held it up to her lips to press a kiss to the knuckles. The moment he heard her words, Jack took his lips away from her hands and patted them instead.

"Perhaps not." Jack murmured and started to walk away.

"Well, it was just a suggestion." Rose said, quickly, and then cursed herself for sounding so desperate.

Jack turned back to look at Rose. "Do you like Glenn Miller?" He asked, carefully. He pointed the device over his shoulder and a slow, swing tune started to play from the speakers. He walked back over to Rose and pulled her into an embrace, the two of them swaying to their beat.

"It's 1941. The height of the London Blitz. The height of the German Bombing Campaign. And something else has fallen on London, a fully equipped Chula Warship. The last one in existence..." Jack's voice was low and lulled Rose. Her eyelids started to flutter closed, smiling pleasantly at the silky tone of his voice, her head on his shoulder. "... armed to the teeth." He drew back, slightly, to look at her properly. "And I know where it is. Because I parked it." Rose laughed. "If the Agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is gonna fall on it and destroy it forever." He looked at her, every inch of his seriousness clear in his voice. "That's the deadline. That's the deal. And now, shall we discuss payment?"

"Do you know what I think?" Rose asked, slowly, her faculties only returning to her now.

"What?" Jack frowned.

"I think you were talking just there..." Rose whispered, dreamily.

"Two hours, the bomb falls. There'll be nothing left but dust and a crater."

"Promises, promises..." Rose giggled.

Jack rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Are you listening to _any_ of this?"

Rose blinked, furiously, and pulled herself together. "You used to be a Time Agent, now you're some kind of free lancer."

"Well, that's a little harsh." Jack tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her closer. "I like to think of myself as a criminal." He growled, playfully.

Rose laughed, madly, taken by the charisma of the man. "I betyou do!" She teased.

"So… these companions of yours… do they handle the business?" Jack asked, slowly, a strange glint entering his eyes.

"Well, I delegate a lot of that, yeah." Rose shrugged, cockily.

"Well, maybe we should go find them."

Rose frowned in confusion. "And how're you gonna do that?"

"Easy." Jack scoffed. "I'll do a scan for alien tech." He pressed a few buttons on the device on his wrist, beginning the scan.

"Finally, a _professional_." Rose said to herself, delightedly, rocking back on her heels.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess stood on some steps a fair good distance away from the bomb site. He looked at it through his binoculars for a moment, before passing it to the Priestess, so that she could also look at the site. Nancy stood behind them, watching them curiously.

"The bomb's under that tarpaulin. They put the fence up over night." Nancy turned slightly to the side and pointed. "See that building? The hospital."

The Doctor and the Priestess looked over to where she was indicating over the top of the binoculars, the latter through the binoculars.

"What about it?" The Doctor asked, frowning.

"That's where the doctor is." Nancy explained.

The Priestess twisted a dial on the binoculars and zoomed in on the hospital.

"You should talk to him." Nancy said, urgently.

"At this point in time, we are more interested in entering the bomb site." The Priestess murmured.

"Talk to the doctor first." Nancy said, stubbornly.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "Why?" He asked, suspiciously.

"'Cos then maybe you won't wanna get inside." Nancy stared to go back up the steps.

"Where're you going?" The Doctor asked, not taking his eyes off the fenced site.

"There was a lot of food in that house. I've got mouths to feed. Should be safe enough now." Nancy explained, slowly.

"Can I ask you a question? Who did you lose?" The Doctor asked, curiously.

"What?" Nancy paled.

The Priestess lowered the binoculars and handed them back to the Doctor, turning to look at Nancy with soft and knowing eyes. "The way you care for all of those children. It is because you lost someone, correct? You are doing all of this to compensate for that."

Nancy swallowed hard and looked at the woman who looked so young and so old at the same time, her eyes soft and hard, light and heavy at the same time. "My little brother. Jamie. One night I went out looking for food. Same night that thing fell. I told him not to follow me… told him it was dangerous, but he just... he just didn't like being on his own." She whispered, telling the story aloud for the first time since it had happened.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked, carefully, reaching for the Priestess' hands like a reflex.

"In the middle of an air raid?" Nancy raised an eyebrow. "What do you _think_ happened?" She snapped.

The Doctor nodded and then smiled. "Amazing." He murmured.

Nancy frowned. "What is?"

"1941." The Priestess answered.

She and the Doctor watched as the planes in the sky dropped bombs on a terrified London in the distance. Their heads tipped up and they saw a barrage balloon hover above them, just as small explosions echoed and brightened the night sky.

"Right now, not very far from here, a German war machine is rolling up the map of Europe. Country after country, falling like dominoes. Nothing can stop it. Nothing. Until one, tiny, damp little island says 'no'. 'No'. Not here. A mouse in front of a lion." The Doctor whispered, his voice filled with awe. He turned to look at Nancy with appraising eyes. "You're amazing, the lot of you. Dunno what you do to Hitler, but you frighten the hell out of me. Off you go then... do what you've gotta do. Save the world." He murmured, proudly.

He tugged on the Priestess' hand and the two went down the rest of the steps, while Nancy turned and walked up them, going the opposite way, suddenly brimming with confidence and a purpose.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess walked up to the gate of the abandoned hospital. The Priestess tugged on the metal gate, hoping that it would be open, and she rolled her eyes upon finding it locked. She looked at the Doctor, who shrugged and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He brandished the sonic screwdriver at the padlock, the blue light on the tip humming loudly. The Priestess undid the chain, tossing the padlock to the side, and the two of them opened the gates, entering Albion Hospital.

The Doctor and the Priestess stepped, cautiously, into a ward, the lights completely turned off, bathing the room in darkness. Rows and rows of people were lying on the beds, gas masks strapped to their faces, looking like corpses. The Priestess and the Doctor both stared at the bodies lying on the bed, a little intrigued and a little frightened, their brows furrowed and their lips pursed into thin lines.

With one final glance at the bodies, they left the ward, coming out into one of the corridors of the hospital, a little more lights shadowing the corridor.

They entered another hospital ward, which had a great deal more light, but still had rows of the gas mask people lying on the cots. The Priestess and the Doctor spun around on their feet, grimly, hearing a slight sound coming from behind them, and they watched as an old man in lab coat entered the ward.

"You'll find them everywhere. Every bed in every ward. Hundreds of them." The old man said, darkly.

"Yes, we saw." The Priestess said, her voice as light as she could possibly make it.

"Why are they still wearing gas masks?" The Doctor asked, confusedly.

"They're not. Who are you?" The old man frowned at the two.

"We're, uh..." The Doctor look at the Priestess for answers. "Are you the doctor?"

"Doctor Constantine." The old man nodded. "And you are?"

"Nancy sent us." The Priestess told him.

"Nancy? That means you must've been asking about the bomb." The old man said, knowingly.

"Yes." The Priestess nodded.

"What do you know about it?" Doctor Constantine asked.

"Nothing. Why we were asking. What do you know?" The Doctor asked.

Doctor Constantine shook his head. "Only what it's done."

"These people," The Doctor gestured to the people lying on the beds behind them. "Were they all caught up in the blast?" He asked, curiously.

"None of them were." Doctor Constantine laughed, slightly, it turning into a nasty, hacking cough at the end.

He sat down in a chair just behind him, the Priestess and the Doctor taking a few steps towards him in worry.

"You are very sick." The Priestess said, slowly.

"Dying, I should think… I just haven't been able to find the time. Are you doctors?" Doctor Constantine asked, looking between the two.

The Doctor cracked a smile and looked at the Priestess, fondly. "We have our moments."

"Have you examined any of them, yet?" Doctor Constantine asked, curiously.

The Doctor shook his head. "No."

"Don't touch the flesh." Doctor Constantine said, warningly.

"Which one?" The Doctor asked.

The Priestess cocked her head, her eyes running all over of the people lying on the beds. "All of them." She murmured.

The two approached the nearest bed, the Doctor taking his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.

"How'd you know it was all of them?" The Doctor asked her, narrowing his eyes.

"Nancy was incredibly terrified of that child. She said we should not let him touch us. What if it follows from that? Touch." The Priestess muttered to him. "If that boy touches us, we transform into one of these creatures. If we touch any of these people, the same will happen to us."

"So, you didn't dream it or anything?" The Doctor asked, casually, but his eyes were staring at her, intensely.

The Priestess gave him a withering look. She hadn't had another one of her trademark visions since that first night after Satellite Five. She had fallen to keeping a measuring eye on Rose every chance she received, wondering exactly when what she saw would happen. And that man she saw in her visions. She wondered exactly when they would meet him. Who he would be to them, to her?

"Right, good point." The Doctor amended. He ran the sonic screwdriver across the body lying on the bed, halting slightly on the gas mask attached to the face. "So, what do you think is going on here?"

The Priestess blinked and narrowed her eyes at the way the gas mask was sewn onto the face of the body, as if it had been surgically joined to the face, not just attached. Her fingers twitched at her side and she forced every single one of her reflexes to stay shut and not touch the body.

"Conclusions?" Doctor Constantine called out from behind them.

"Massive head trauma, mostly to the left side..." The Doctor looked at her, quickly, his voice lowering to a murmur so that she was the only one who could hear. "We should get you one of these." He gestured to the sonic screwdriver, which was scanning across the torso. "Partial collapse of the chest cavity, mostly to the right."

The Priestess looked down at the arms on the side of the body. "There is some scarring on the back of the hand and the gas mask seems to be fused to the flesh, however, there are no burns or marks to suggest that it was attached separately." She raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

_See, I do fine without a sonic device._ The Priestess said, proudly.

_Sonic screwdriver._ The Doctor corrected. _And it would only make you do all that you do best faster._

_It cannot be a screwdriver. There would be no reason for me to carry a screwdriver around all the time. It must be something more discreet_. The Priestess said, warningly.

_Okay, got it_. The Doctor said.

"Examine another one." Doctor Constantine ordered.

The Doctor and the Priestess went over to another bed and did the scan again on the body. The gas mask remained fused to the flesh and the body bore the same red scar on the back of the right hand. The Doctor turned his sonic screwdriver off and they turned to Doctor Constantine.

"This isn't possible." The Doctor said, shaking his head.

"Examine another." Doctor Constantine ordered again.

The Doctor and the Priestess rushed over to another bed and he tried the scan again.

"This is not possible." The Priestess muttered, her eyes roving over the injuries as her mind raced through all of the possibilities.

"No." Doctor Constantine shook his head, grimly.

"They all have the same injuries." The Priestess looked up and stared at Doctor Constantine.

"Yes."

"Exactly the same." The Doctor continued, his eyes narrowing at the doctor.

"Yes."

"Identical, all of them. Right down to the scar on the back of the hand." The Doctor finished.

Doctor Constantine looked down at his own hand, his eyes staring, darkly, at the raw scar on the back of the hand.

"How did this happen? How did it start?" The Doctor asked, hurriedly.

"When that bomb dropped, there was just one victim." Doctor Constantine started.

"Dead?" The Doctor asked.

"At first. His injuries were truly dreadful. By the following morning, every doctor and nurse who had treated him, who had touched him, had those exact same injuries. By the morning after that, every patient in the same ward had the exact same injuries. Within a week, the entire hospital. Physical injuries… as plague. Can you explain that? What would you say was the cause of death?"

"The head trauma?" The Priestess answered.

"No."

The Doctor frowned. "Asphyxiation?"

"No."

"The collapse of the chest cavity?" The Priestess replied.

"No."

"All right." The Doctor snapped. "What was the cause of death?"

Doctor Constantine shook his head. "There wasn't one."

The Doctor looked at him, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"They're not dead." Doctor Constantine answered the unasked question. He rapped his walking stick against a tin rubbish bin and all of the patients suddenly sat up like clockwork. The Doctor and the Priestess spun on their heels, alarmed and defensive.

"It's all right. They're harmless. They just... sort of, sit there. No heartbeat, no life signs of any kind. They just... don't die."

"And they've just been left here? Nobody's _doing _anything?" The Doctor asked, incredulously.

The bodies finally lied back on the beds.

"I try and make them comfortable, what else is there?" Doctor Constantine asked, wearily.

"And it is just you? You are the only one here?" The Priestess asked, incredulously.

"Before this war began, I was a father and a grandfather. Now I am neither. But I am still a doctor." Doctor Constantine said, blinking.

The Priestess and the Doctor looked at each other, painfully, and reached for each other in comfort. The Priestess felt as if someone had struck her in the chest with metal, feeling winded.

"Yeah, we know the feeling." The Doctor said, quietly, watching the range of emotions pass through the Priestess' eyes.

"I suspect the plan is to blow up the hospital and blame it on a German bomb." Doctor Constantine said.

The Doctor looked around. "Probably too late."

"No. They are isolated cases, but... isolated cases breaking out all over London..." The doctor started to cough again and his speech broke up until he could only say one word ever couple of seconds. The Doctor and the Priestess started towards them, intending on helping him. "Stay back, stay back." He said, warningly, and then coughed a big, hacking cough. "Listen to me... top floor. Room 802, that's where they took the first victim, the one from the crash site. And you must find Nancy again."

"Nancy?" The Doctor frowned, wondering what Nancy had to do with all of this.

"It was her brother. She knows more than she's saying. She won't tell me, but she mi-mi-" Doctor Constantine gagged and clutched his neck. "M... mu... mee..."

The Doctor and the Priestess watched him, concernedly, realising how difficult it was for the doctor to get the words out of his mouth.

"Are... you... my... mum-my?"

As the Doctor and the Priestess watched, a gas mask protruded horribly out of his mouth, his lips stretching wide and his jaw gaping. His eyes started to become the lenses of the gas mask, turning black and plastic, and the mask fused itself onto his face, the old man going limp as it did so. The Doctor and the Priestess turned, slightly, when they heard voices in the distance.

"Hello?" A man's voice called out.

"Hello?" Rose's voice sounded through the empty rooms and corridors.

"Hello?" The same man's voice called out again.

The Doctor and the Priestess frowned and the Doctor yanked on the Priestess' hand, pulling her out of the ward and out into the corridor.

They met Rose and a handsome man in a trench coat at her side.

"Good evening." The man gave them both a beaming grin, showing bright white and neat teeth, a smile that knew exactly what it could do to men and women. "Hope I'm not interrupting, Jack Harkness." He shook the Doctor's hand. "I've been hearing all about you on the way over." He turned to look at the Priestess, who cocked her head at him.

The Priestess swallowed hard and resisted the urge to gape at him like a lovesick schoolgirl. It was him. Not even fifteen minutes ago, she had been wondering exactly when she would meet this man. She bit her lower lip, staring, intently, at him. It was definitely him. The man from her vision. He had been dead at the beginning, lying against a wall, but something had struck him and his eyes had snapped open, breathing heavily. She could only take that and what she had seen Rose become and come up with something that would end badly for all of them. Whatever would happen, this man would be with them when it happened. She would have to make sure he was with them when it happened.

She watched with a frown as his eyes travelled up and down her body, appreciatively. She was no stranger to human attraction and she could see why her current body was seen as attractive by others, but her lust and love had always been tied to the Doctor only. She had never felt that way about anyone else and she never could. Her nails dug into her palm, gritting her teeth. The way she had felt when she had seen him in her vision. The feeling as though her skin was on fire, her entire body itching, fervently, and her head throbbing with every moment she watched him. She didn't feel it now. Whatever that had happened to him in her vision hadn't happened to him yet. She would just have to watch him, closely.

"And hello, gorgeous." The cheesy grin on Jack's face only grew when he look at the Priestess. "Rose didn't tell me that one of her companions was so beautiful."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the handsome man and wrapped an arm around the Priestess' face, pulling her into his side, protectively. He glared, fiercely, at the man. _She's mine, pretty boy_.

Rose looked at the Doctor and the Priestess, shyly, a tiny bit jealous at the attention the Doctor and Jack were giving the Priestess, but stamping it down, fiercely.

"He knows. I had to tell him about us being Time Agents." She said, hesitantly, hoping that either of them would pick up the ruse and play along.

The Doctor and the Priestess looked at her, strangely, and then nodded, deciding to go along with the ruse.

"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mr Spock." Jack patted the Doctor, heartily, on the shoulder. He turned to the Priestess and shook his hand. "And you, Miss Uhura."

_Who is Uhura?_ The Priestess asked the Doctor, confusedly.

_She's another character in Star Trek_. The Doctor said, dismissively, eyeing Rose with annoyance and confusion. _What's she playing at?_

_Well, there is a man who knows about the Time Agency in 1941, there is a bomb that is not a bomb that is causing all of these people to mutate like a virus in the air. Maybe these two events are connected, somehow?_

The Doctor took a deep breath, forcing himself to be calm. _On one hand, I hope you're right. On the other hand, I really hope you're wrong._

Jack walked off, leaving the Doctor and the Priestess looking rather bemused.

"Mr Spock?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at Rose.

"Miss Uhura?" The Priestess copied the same gesture.

"What was I supposed to say, you two don't have names! Don't you ever get tired of 'Doctor' or 'Priestess'? Doctor who? Priestess of what?"

"Nine centuries in, we're coping." The Doctor said, dryly.

"Rose," The Priestess began, concernedly. "Where have you been? We are in the middle of the London Blitz, it is hardly a good time for a stroll." She scolded.

"Who's strolling? I went by barrage balloon. Only way to see an air raid." Rose scoffed, starting to walk in the direction that Jack had gone.

The Doctor and the Priestess frowned. "What?!"

"Listen," Rose turned back to look at them. "What's a Chula warship?"

The Doctor halted in his tracks and looked at the Priestess, confusedly. "Chula?"

* * *

Jack scanned one of the bodies lying on the bed in the hospital ward.

"This just isn't possible. How could this happen?" Jack asked no-one in particular, his eyes wide with horror.

"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" The Doctor asked, darkly.

"What?" Jack turned to frown at him, wondering what the Chula ship had to do with these bodies.

"He said it was a warship. He stole it. Parked it somewhere out there, somewhere a bomb's gonna fall on it, unless _we_make him an offer." Rose told the Doctor and the Priestess, knowingly.

"What type of warship?" The Priestess snapped, her hackles rising.

"Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this!" Jack swore, agitatedly.

The Priestess took a step forward. "This started at the bomb site. It has _everything_ to do with it. So, answer us, what type of warship?" The Priestess asked, her voice and eyes cold as ice and her entire body tense with stress.

"An ambulance!" Jack exclaimed. He turned on his wrist device. "Look." A hologram of the Chula warship appeared above the device. "That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's _empty_. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle, love the retro look, by the way, nice panels… threw you the bait…"

Rose raised an eyebrow, feeling a sting of betrayal at that. "Bait?"

"I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk."

"You said it was a _war_ship." Rose said, confusedly.

"They have ambulances in wars." Jack said, slowly, as if he were speaking to a child. He turned his back on them and started to walk away, before spinning on his feet and glaring at them, determined to absolve himself of any crime. "It was a con. I was conning you, that's what I am, I'm a con man. I thought you were Time Agents but you're not, are you?"

Rose shook her head, gritting her teeth. "Just a couple more free-lancers."

"Ahh... should've known. The way you guys are blending in with the local colour, I mean, Flag Girl was bad enough, but U-Boat Captain and Audrey Hepburn?" Jack scoffed, derisively.

Both Rose and the Doctor looked uncomfortably down at their clothes, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. The Priestess, on the other hand, frowned and looked down at herself. She wasn't exactly well-known for Earth pop culture. She wondered if she should take 'Audrey Hepburn' as an insult, but she saw nothing wrong with the way she was dressed in a blue halter top and jeans.

"Anyway... whatever's happening here has got _nothing_to do with that ship." Jack said, defensively.

Rose looked around, a little fearfully. "What _is _happening here, Doctor, Priestess?"

"Human DNA is being rewritten… by an idiot." The Priestess said, icily, gifting Jack with a glare. This situation coupled with the vision she had seen had resulted in her distrust of this man and she didn't think that would change any time soon.

Rose frowned and looked at her, confusedly. "What d'you mean?" She thought it was strange how the Doctor and the Priestess sort of worked off each other. It was like they knew what each other was thinking, like some well-oiled machine. And the Priestess was just as smart as the Doctor, sometimes she was even more so.

"We dunno…" The Doctor shook his head. "Some kind of virus. It's converting human beings into these things." He nodded at the bodies lying on the bed. "But why? What's the point?"

Rose walked over and bent over one of the bodies, careful not to touch the flesh, examining it, when one of them, suddenly, sat up. All of the other bodies did the same. Rose jumped backwards, startled, and the Priestess pulled her back and behind her, protectively. They all started to chant "mummy", repeatedly, like some sort of mantra.

"What's happening?" Rose asked, scared.

"I don't know." The Doctor said, grimly.

The gas-mask people all started to get out of their beds and began to enclose the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Jack. The Doctor pulled the Priestess behind him, keeping one of his hands on her waist, as she curled her fingers in the back of his leather jacket, looking over his shoulder, determinedly.

"Do not let them touch you." The Priestess snapped at Rose and Jack.

"What happens if they touch us?" Rose asked, fearfully.

"You're looking at it." The Doctor said, coldly.

The gas-mask people continued to chant "mummy" over and over again, as they backed the four against the wall.

* * *

A/N: Finally, I thought this chapter would take ages. I'm so glad _The Empty Child_ is over. Hopefully, the Priestess' view of Jack will change soon. I plan to have them have a close relationship, especially when we get into the Season 3 finale. But you'll have to wait for that. I hope you all liked this chapter. Again, like the last chapter, I don't want to say too much about why the Doctor was comforting the Priestess at the beginning. Any questions you guys have, all you have to do is ask and I'll answer to the best of my abilities. Hopefully, Rose didn't come off as too jealous. She's not jealous as a romantic interest for the Doctor, just yet. We'll have to wait until Season 2 for that, unfortunately. Now, if she's jealous, she's more jealous that the Priestess is taking up all of the Doctor's time, just a friend for now.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and please don't forget to review.


	11. The Doctor Dances: Longest Night

Dream Weaver – Chapter 11

A/N: Well, here's the first chapter of _The Doctor Dances_. This chapter holds the infamous dancing scene and some more flirting between our resident Time Lord and Time Lady. We'll have to see who it's between, the Doctor and Rose or the Doctor and the Priestess? That should be really, really fun.

Replies to Reviews:

LilyMayRose: Thank you so much and I'm so glad you like the story!

NicoleR85: Jealous Rose will feature in Season 2, I promise!

The Dreamer: Rose won't find out about the Doctor/Priestess relationship any time soon and I don't want to give away anything about the Priestess regenerating just yet.

MissLizziebeth: I loved Rose in Season 1, but Season 2 just became about her feelings for the Doctor. She lost that independence that made her great in Season 1, so I just got annoyed with the pairing. I love Billie Piper though, and I loved her as the Moment. Of course, that'll be different in this story.

masterdude94: Thank you so much! My 'time off' wasn't really productive when it came to writing, but I really needed the time off to study. I'm so glad you liked the chapter!

Guest: I'm honestly thinking of writing a few one shots to explain their relationship outside the DW episodes. I'm still a bit iffy about Season 2 as far as this story goes, because I'm not sure how I want to characterise Rose just yet. Rose has the tendency, even before Season 2, to put people down if she feels jealous of them, so I think it would fit her character to be a bit bitchy. She's a bit spoilt and entitled and seeing as she was the one who was the first to travel with the Doctor (at least how she sees it), I think she would feel possessive of the Doctor anyway. Even if the Doctor became distant to her in season 2 and acted all lovestruck around the Priestess, I think her feelings wouldn't diminish because she'd just feel as though the Priestess was making the Doctor being distant. But I still may have some of those Doctor-Rose moments stay the same when I write it. The relationship between the Doctor and the Priestess will become very very strained in Season 2, because I agree with you, the Priestess won't change her outlook, but the Doctor will and everything will be very awkward between them and Rose will be a focal point in all of that drama. I have a lot planned for Season 2 and 3 and trust me, the Doctor's and the Priestess' relationship won't be the same. Yep, I was pretty much on the nose with that one. The Doctor and the Priestess had children together and they died during the Time War. Susan is the Priestess' granddaughter as well. The Priestess does have the capacity to be very maternal and we'll see that with future companions, but because of Rose's presence and attitude, it won't be easy for the Priestess to act like that with her.

Audrie-13: Thank you so much!

TheGirlWhoLives: God, I am so sorry for taking so long to update. It was supposed to be a month hiatus and it just kind of spread into three months. I honestly didn't mean for it to happen like that. I think the Priestess doesn't have rose-coloured glasses (pun not intended) when it comes to Rose, like the Doctor does, so I thought it would fit her character to tell her off, as a Time Lady and as someone who has visions.

GoldenKeeper2567: Thank you so much!

Rockout101: Thank you so much!

Warnings: Some flirting, possessive Doctor… that's all.

* * *

The Doctor Dances: Longest Night

"_Do not let them touch you." The Priestess snapped at Rose and Jack._

"_What happens if they touch us?" Rose asked, fearfully._

"_You're looking at it." The Doctor said, coldly._

_The gas-mask people continued to chant "mummy" over and over again, as they backed the four against the wall._

The gas-mask people were now surrounding the Priestess, the Doctor and Rose and Jack. Then, the Priestess frowned and moved around the Doctor, so that she was standing in front of the three, despite the Doctor's vehement protests.

The Priestess clucked her tongue and drew herself to her full height, which may have not been much, but her hands fell to her hips and she glared at all of the gas-mask people, giving them a stare that she had frequently given three wayward, mischievous children, who had taken after their father, so long ago.

"Go to your room." She said, sternly, as if she were scolding a disobedient child.

The gas-mask people stopped in their tracks and hesitated.

"Go to your room!" The Priestess repeated, her voice rising, her eyes narrowing and her lip curling.

The gas-mask people cocked their heads to one side.

Rose and Jack looked at each other, confused, while the Doctor stared at his Bondmate with equal amounts of pride and worry.

"I am serious. I am very, very angry with you. I am very,_ very _angry! Go. To. Your. ROOM!" She shrieked, her sharp, feminine voice echoing through the entire ward.

She pointed, violently, in no particular direction, and miraculously, all of the gas-mask people turned meekly away, thoroughly chastised. The patients and the staff in the hospital all climbed back into their beds.

The Priestess ran her tongue over her teeth, watching them all, and nodded to herself, turning to the other three and sighing with relief.

"I'm really glad that worked." The Doctor said, suddenly, an amused glint in his eyes. "Those would've been _terrible_ last words."

* * *

Rose was sitting by one of the beds in the wards, looking at one of the gas-mask people with interest, while Jack settled himself down, comfortably, in a chair.

"Why are they all wearing gas masks?" Rose asked, confusedly.

"They're not. Those masks are flesh and bone." Jack explained.

The Priestess eyed Jack with annoyance. She wasn't a huge fan of liars. In fact, she didn't like it when people lied to her. And this man was at the top of her list. Because of his foolhardiness, so many people in London had been hurt. "How exactly was the fraud supposed to work?"

"Fraud?" A cheeky smile played on Jack's lips. "You make it sound so _bad_." He purred, flirting, unashamedly.

"Don't flirt with her." The Doctor snapped from behind the Priestess, glaring furiously at him.

"That is what it is called, am I wrong?" The Priestess crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow, clearly un-impressed. "You deceived us with the intention of securing financial gain." She tapped her foot on the floor, irritated. "Tell me what your plan was."

Her voice was low and clear, and to anyone else but the Doctor and Jack, she sounded as if she may have been speaking about the weather to someone, but the Doctor, after centuries upon centuries of being married to the Priestess, and Jack, who had known so many different people, could hear the undertone of steel in her voice, steel that promised hell and pain if he wasn't honest.

"Simple enough, really." Jack shrugged. "Find some harmless piece of space-junk... let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth. Convince him it's valuable, name a price. When he's put 50% up front… oops! A German bomb falls on it," Jack smirked. "Destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's paid for. Never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss _dumb luck_. The perfect self-cleaning con." He finished, proudly.

The Doctor snorted. "Yeah. Perfect."

"The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners. Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it though, but you've got to set your alarm for volcano day." Jack laughed at his own joke. The Priestess and the Doctor merely looked at him, still unimpressed, and Jack's laughter died away, instead, being replaced with annoyance. "Getting a hint of disapproval." He said, dryly.

The Doctor glared at him. "Take a look around the room. This is what your 'harmless piece of space-junk' did."

"It was a burnt-out medical transporter, it was empty." Jack protested.

The Doctor and the Priestess looked, darkly, at him and they walked off. The Priestess looked at over Rose, who was still observing one of the gas-mask people.

"Rose." She said, sharply, her entire body seething.

Rose looked up and blinked at her. "We getting out of here?" She asked.

"No, we are going upstairs." The Priestess informed her and Rose followed them as they walked out.

Jack got to his feet and called out after them. "I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living, I harmed no-one! I don't know what's happening here, but believe me, I had nothing to do with it." He said, earnestly.

The Doctor scowled, unable to believe that he was still defending himself. "I'll tell you what's happening. You forgot to set your alarm clock. It's volcano day."

A siren went off the distance and all of them looked to the nearest window.

"What's that?" Rose asked, confused.

"The all-clear." Jack said.

The Doctor snorted. "I wish."

He and the Priestess left the ward, while Rose and Jack followed them.

* * *

Rose and Jack ran down a corridor looking for the Doctor and the Priestess.

"Mr Spock? Ms Uhura?" Jack called out.

Rose frowned and looked around. "Doctor? Priestess?"

They dashed past a flight of stairs and the Doctor and the Priestess popped their heads around a banister.

"Have you got a blaster?" The Doctor called out.

Rose and Jack skid to a halt and backtracked to the staircase.

"Sure!"

The four ran up the stairs and found themselves standing outside a door.

"The night your space-junk landed, someone was hurt. This was where they were taken." The Doctor said, staring intently at the door.

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"Let's find out." The Doctor looked at Jack. "Get it open."

Jack grinned and pointed a blaster at the door, while the Doctor and the Priestess stood back with Rose.

"What's wrong with his sonic screwdriver?" Rose asked the Priestess, quietly.

A smile played on the Priestess' lips and she shook her head. "Absolutely nothing." She graced the Doctor with a playful look, knowing exactly why he had asked Jack to use his blaster instead of using his sonic screwdriver on the door. _Men are the same, no matter what planet they come from._

_Are you trying to rile me up? _The Doctor asked, shifting his feet, slightly, knowing that he had been caught out.

_No, I am merely pointing out the truth, beloved. And you have nothing to worry about. _She said, sternly, rolling her eyes, as if the thought itself was foolish to her. _Almost like the TARDIS instructor all over again._

_Hey!_ The Doctor protested. _That guy was making eyes at you and you know it. You know, for a race that evolved past the need for a sex drive, he sure was looking down your shirt often._

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _Well, what do you believe will happen between this man and I? That I will be taken in by his rash behaviour, thoughtlessness and charming smile and run away with him?_

The Doctor frowned. _You think his smile's charming?_

_Theta._ The Priestess said, warningly.

_Sorry, sorry. Well… yeah, maybe. _The Doctor said, grudgingly.

_That is the most foolish thing I have ever heard you say_. The Priestess resisted the urge to throw her hands in the air, lest Rose ask her about it.

_Yeah, but didn't you fall in love with me because I had those characteristics too. _The Doctor accused.

The Priestess gave him a withering glare. _I fell in love with you because you were the first person to look at me and not see the Dream Child or the Prophet of Time or the Lady of Visions or the other epithets that the other Time Lords decided to entitle me with. You did not pander to any of that pseudo religious nonsense that they peddled about me. You were my best friend, the lazy genius who I barely managed to beat in my exams. I fell in love with you because you are the most honest, decent, loving man I have ever met and you have never loved me for anything less than what I am. Is that enough or do you require any more reassuring?_

_You know, you have this ability to make me feel like I'm three inches tall._

The Priestess rolled her eyes. _Of course I do. I have had three children. How do you believe I managed to send those gas-masked people back to their beds otherwise?_

Jack's blaster cut a perfectly square hole around the lock of the door and it squeaked open.

The Doctor and the Priestess walked past and stopped so that they were standing in the doorway. The Doctor took the blaster from Jack.

"Sonic blaster, 51st century. Weapon Factories of Villengard?" The Priestess narrowed her eyes at the device.

"You've been to the factories?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

The Priestess smiled. "Once."

"Well, they're gone now. Destroyed. The main reactor went critical. Vaporized the lot."

The Doctor shrugged and handed Jack the blaster. "Like I said… once. There's a banana grove there, now. I like bananas. Bananas are good."

He smiled, pleasantly, at Jack, whose eyes began to dawn with realisation, and entered the room along with the Priestess. Rose went up to Jack.

"Nice blast pattern." She commented, looking at the perfectly square hole where the lock used to be.

"Digital." Jack explained.

"Squareness gun." A smile began to spread across Rose's face.

"Yeah." Jack nodded.

"I like it." Rose winked, playfully, going into the room.

Jack laughed, a little surprised, and followed her inside.

* * *

The Doctor switched a light on and he and the Priestess stepped into the room. The room looked as though it had been vandalised. The window was broken, shards of glass on the floor, and so many items littered the floor.

"What d'you think?" The Doctor looked, curiously, at the Priestess.

"_Something_ managed to leave this room…" The Priestess looked around.

"Yeah. And?" The Doctor looked at Jack this time, wondering if he was more than just a pretty face.

"Something powerful. Angry." Jack mused.

"Powerful and angry." The Doctor nodded, grimly.

"A very bad combination." The Priestess breathed.

Jack entered a room off to the side, gazing at the walls and floors, which were covered with a child's drawings, with trepidation. There were a few toys on the floor and little bed sat in the corner.

"A child? I suppose this explains 'mummy'." Jack remarked.

Rose frowned, confused. "How could a child do this?"

The Doctor pursed his lips and walked over to a tape recorder sitting on the table. He pressed down the 'play' button, a tape of Doctor Constantine talking to the child sounding through the room.

"_Do you know where you are?" _Doctor Constantine asked the child.

"_Are you my mummy?"_

"_Are you aware of what's around you? Can you... see?"_

"_Are you my mummy?"_ The child repeated.

"_What do you want? Do you know-"_

Before Doctor Constantine could finish his sentence, the child interrupted him. _"I want my mummy. Are you my mummy? I want my mummy! Are you my mummy?"_

They all looked around to see every single of the child's drawings were of the child's mother.

"_Are you my mummy? Mummy? Mummy?_"

"Doctor," Rose said, slowly and fearfully. "I've heard this voice before."

"Us too." The Doctor said, grimly.

"_Mummy?"_

"Always, "are you my mummy?". Like he doesn't know."

"Mummy?"

"Why doesn't he know?" Rose frowned.

"Are you there, mummy? Mummy?"

* * *

The reels of the tape spun, the sound of clicking echoing through the air.

"Mummy? Please, mummy? Mummy?"

The Doctor started to pace around the room, while the Priestess cocked her head, listening, calculatively, to the tape.

"Doctor?" Rose bit her lower lip.

"Can you sense it?" The Priestess asked, slowly.

"Sense what?" Jack frowned.

"It is coming out of the walls, can you feel it?" The Priestess murmured.

"Mummy?"

The Doctor stopped, suddenly, and looked at Rose and Jack with confusion and arrogance. "Funny little human brains, how do you get around in those things?" He asked, bemusedly.

The Priestess rolled her eyes. "Doctor, please refrain from insulting the human beings, we have much more imperative problems to deal with at this moment." She looked at Jack. "When he starts to become stressed, he compensates by insulting species."

"'Tess, I'm thinking." The Doctor said, warningly, still pacing around the room.

"Incredibly clumsy, trips over his own feet, cuts himself shaving, does half an hour in life forms he is more intelligent than." The Priestess continued, gracing the Doctor with a playful look.

"Priestess…" The Doctor repeated, glaring over at her.

"Yes, I know exactly what you are thinking." She huffed, giving him a withering look. "There are children that are living homeless around the bomb site. They walk through the empty streets during air-raids looking for food." She started to explain to a confused Jack and Rose.

"Mummy, please?"

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Suppose they were there when this thing, whatever it was, landed?"

Jack let out a frustrated and exasperated growl. "It was a med-ship. It was harmless."

"Yes," The Priestess rolled her eyes. "You continue to say that. 'Harmless'. Imagine if one of them was affected… even altered." She crooned, looking at the Doctor, expectantly.

Rose's eyes kept shifting between the Doctor and the Priestess, a little frustrated by the way they seemed to be able to communicate silently. "Altered how?" She snapped, wanting some answers now.

"I'm here!"

"It's afraid. Terribly afraid, and powerful. It doesn't know it yet, but it will do." The Doctor let out a small laugh, out of disbelief not humour. "It's got the power of a god, and you just sent it to its room." He chuckled. _That's my girl. Thank Omega I've got you._

_You should do more than thank Omega for me, my love. _The Priestess retorted.

A loud, crackling noise filled the room.

"Doctor..." Rose whispered, scared.

"I'm here. Can't you see me?"

"What's that noise?" Rose asked, fearfully.

The Priestess swallowed hard and looked at the Doctor, a small amount of fear evident in her gaze. "The end of the tape. It stopped around thirty seconds ago." She murmured, reaching for the Doctor at the same time he did, their fingers entwining.

"I'm here, now. Can't you see me?"

The Doctor looked at the Priestess. "You sent it to its room. _This _is its room."

The two of them spun around and the child was standing by the tape machine.

"Are you my mummy?" The little boy cocked his head to the side, considering the Priestess and Rose through the eyes of the gas mask.

"Doctor?" Rose called out, worriedly, not taking her eyes off the child.

"Okay..." Jack nodded to himself, as if he were steeling himself for something. "On my signal... make for the door. NOW!" He shouted, violently producing a banana and pointed it threateningly at the child.

The Doctor grinned to himself and the Priestess, looking very proud of himself, and pulled out Jack's sonic blaster, which he had managed to pick-pocket, blasting a square hole in the wall, big enough for all four to move through.

_Well, so much for your boy-toy. _The Doctor said, smugly.

_Leave it alone, beloved_. The Priestess said, warningly, despite the amusement colouring her voice.

"Go! Now! Don't drop the banana!" The Doctor shouted, ushering the Priestess and Rose through the hole.

Jack hopped through. "Why not?!"

"Good source of potassium!" The Doctor exclaimed.

The four of them found themselves back in one of the hospital corridors. The child approached them from inside the room.

"Give me that!" Jack snapped, grabbing his sonic blaster off the Doctor.

"Are you my mummy?"

Jack aimed the blaster at the wall and the wall started to rebuild itself, blocking the child from reaching them.

"Digital rewind." Jack explained. He tossed the banana back to the Doctor. "Nice switch."

The Doctor smirked, tightening his hand around the Priestess'. "It's from the Groves of Villengard. I thought it was appropriate." He said, arrogantly.

"There's really a banana grove in the heart of Villengard and you did that?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor shrugged. "Bananas are good." He said, simply, as if that statement explained everything.

The child thumped his hands against the wall from the other side, cracking it from the force.

"Doctor!" Rose cried out.

The Doctor cursed under his breath. "Come on!"

The four rushed down a flight of stairs and down another a corridor, reaching the end at the same time as they encountered all of the patients bursting out of the ward, calling out 'mummy' in succession. They all hastily backtracked, but they found the gasmask people coming from the opposite direction as well. The found themselves back at the point where they started, where the child was breaking through the wall.

"It is stalling us, so that it can reach us here." The Priestess said, grimly.

Jack twisted his body every few seconds, alternating between pointing his blaster at each crowd of the gas-mask people. "It's controlling them?"

"It _is _them. It is every living being in this hospital." The Priestess snapped.

"Okay. This can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon, and a triple-enfolded sonic disrupter. Doc, what you got?" Jack asked, hurriedly.

The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, but Jack was not looking, as he was too busy brandishing his sonic blaster at the gas-mask people.

"A sonic, er..." The Doctor looked down at the screwdriver, an uncertain look slipping into his eyes. "Oh, never mind."

"What?" Jack frowned.

The Doctor turned to face the other group of gas-mask people, switching on his sonic screwdriver, as the Priestess curled her hand in the back of his leather jacket, facing the same way the Doctor was.

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "It's sonic, okay? Let's leave it at that." He snapped.

"Disrupter? Cannon? What?"

"It's sonic! Totally sonic! I am sonic-ed up!" The Doctor shouted.

"A sonic _what_?!" Jack exclaimed.

The Priestess rolled her eyes, officially fed up. "Screwdriver!" She shrieked.

Jack spun around, thoroughly bemused. At that precise moment, the child finally managed to punch through the wall. The little boy began to climb through the hole. The Priestess rolled her eyes and grabbed onto Jack's blaster, pointing it at the floor.

"Going down!" She called out.

The blaster blew a hole in the floor and the four of them fell in a messy heap on the floor of the ward below.

* * *

Jack turned around, facing the ceiling, and hurriedly activated the digital rewind on the sonic blaster, closing the hole so that they couldn't be followed by the gas-mask people or the little boy.

"Doctor," The Priestess hurried over to the Doctor, concern for him at the forefront of her mind, and helped him to his feet, looking him over, worriedly, for any injuries. Her eyes searched his face, seeing no cuts or bruises as far as she could see, and she breathed a sigh of relief, clutching onto his arm with a death grip. "Are you alright?"

"Could've used a warning...!" The Doctor huffed.

The Priestess reeled back and raised an eyebrow. "I did." She said, flatly.

Rose rolled her eyes at the Doctor's discomfort. "Ugh, the gratitude." She sent the Priestess a look that transcended past species and any physical and genetic differences, just two women rolling their eyes at a man.

The four of them leapt to their feet and brushed themselves off.

_I believe you think I am an idiot. I know exactly what that was all about._

_I have no idea what you're talking about. _The Doctor huffed.

_You thought that if you confessed that you had a sonic screwdriver to Jack, then you would feel smaller in his eyes. _

_Okay, okay, I get it. So, maybe it was a Freudian thing. _

_Using a sonic device as a metaphor. _The Priestess resisted the urge to grin.

_Shut up. _The Doctor grumbled.

_I, as your wife and a joyful participant, can tell you that you have absolutely nothing to be envious about. _The Priestess purred and heat spread low into the Doctor's stomach, his cock twitching at her tone.

_I hate you_. He growled.

"Who has a sonic screwdriver?" Jack asked, exasperatedly.

"I do!" The Doctor said, defensively.

"Light!" Rose and the Priestess said, immediately, and started to look around the dark room.

"Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks "oohoo, this could be a little more sonic"?" Jack asked, mockingly.

"What, you've never been bored?" The Doctor asked, indignantly.

Rose ran her hands over the walls. "There's gotta be a light switch!"

The Doctor frowned. "Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?"

The Priestess finally found a switch and turned the lights on. All of the gas-mask people lying on the beds sat up and started to chant out "mummy".

"Door." Jack ordered.

They rushed to the door as the patients started to get out of bed, trying to follow them. Finding it locked, Jack tried to blast it open but he shook the blaster in his hand when it didn't work.

"Damn it!" Jack cursed. He stepped back, allowing the Doctor to use his sonic screwdriver instead. He whacked his sonic blaster, angrily. "It's the special features, they really drain the battery." He explained to a confused Rose.

"The battery?!" Rose's eyes widened, looking disappointed.

The Doctor managed to open the door and they dashed through it.

"That's so _lame._" Rose shook her head.

* * *

The Doctor slammed the door of the storeroom shut behind them and locked it with his sonic screwdriver.

Jack ran over to the window. "I was gonna send for another one, but _someone's _gonna blow up the factory." He glared over at the Doctor.

"Oh, I know, first day I met him, he blew my job up. That's practically how he communicates." Rose explained.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "I have absolutely no doubt he did something like that. You should have seen him when we were younger, he set a fire in my laboratory once." She mused.

"Hey! You tampered with my lab first! You turned it from Euclidean to Parabolic space. I was seeing curves for months!" The Doctor protested.

"Yes, but your fire exploded my entire lab. It took me weeks to rearrange everything back into its proper place." The Priestess said, defensively. "Did you honestly think I would let you escape your guilt?" She raised an eyebrow.

The Doctor grunted and turned around. "Okay, that door should hold it for a bit." The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the door.

"The door?! The _wall _didn't stop it!" Jack exclaimed, incredulously.

"Well, it's gotta _find _us first! Come on, we're not done yet! Assets, assets!" The Doctor chanted.

"Well, I've got a banana, and at a pinch you could put up some shelves." The Doctor said, mockingly.

The Doctor moved over to the window. "Window-"

"Barred, sheer drop outside. Seven stories. Quite terrifying, actually." The Priestess gave the Doctor a sly look.

_Although, maybe not for you, my love. You have had so much experience with heights over the years. _The Priestess mused.

_You mean, when I used to sneak up into your room after your father left._

_Yes. _The Priestess smiled in remembrance.

"And no other exits." Rose finished, looking around the room.

Jack settled himself, comfortably, into an armchair. "Well, the assets conversation went in a flash, didn't it?"

The Doctor scowled down at him and then turned to Rose. "So, where'd you pick this one up, then?"

"Doctor..." Rose said, warningly.

"She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a _chance_." Jack chuckled.

The Priestess frowned at Rose, who was looking slightly uncomfortable.

_I believe you told me that Rose was currently in a relationship with someone. She was acting very friendly with Adam as well. And now, Jack. She is not very faithful, is she? _The Priestess said, a little disappointedly.

The Doctor shrugged. _None of our business what she gets up to. She's old enough. Let her make her own mistakes and fix them._

_That is a definite change to the standard paternal approach you were accustomed to taking with your companions. _The Priestess raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, one, we want to get out of here. Two, we _can't _get out of here. Have I missed anything?" The Doctor snapped, irritated by the pessimistic attitude that seemed to come with the pretty boy.

Rose looked in Jack's direction and took a step forward, her eyes widening. "Yeah… Jack just disappeared." Rose whispered in wonder.

The Doctor and the Priestess spun around to see Jack's empty chair.

* * *

Rose approached the Doctor, who was now sitting down. The Priestess moved over to behind his chair, placing a hand on the back of his chair.

"Okay, so he's vanished into thin air. Why is it always the _great _looking ones who do that?" Rose asked, mournfully, shaking her head.

The Doctor peered up at her, giving her an offended look. "I'm making an effort not to be insulted." He scowled.

Rose waved her hand, dismissively. "I mean... men."

"I do not understand." The Priestess cocked her head. "In what way is he not a man?" She asked, confusedly. "He looks like one. A very handsome one, too. Well, men look Time Lord. We are older."

The Doctor tilted his head up and gave her a grateful look and the Priestess' hands fell to his shoulders, squeezing gently. Her nails scratched against the back of his neck and the Doctor resisted the urge to shudder from the feeling. Rose watched them with undecipherable eyes, a slight jealousy colouring her eyes, as she looked at them with a slight bit of annoyance. _They're always so touchy-feely with each other. He's never like that with me._ Rose grumbled to herself. She tried to appease herself by saying that it must be a Time Lord/Time Lady thing and that she shouldn't take it too seriously. She gritted her teeth, forcing down any jealousy and annoyance. Even if something happened between the Doctor and the Priestess, it had nothing to do with her. She didn't have feelings for the Doctor… did she?

An old radio sprung to life and Jack's voice transmitted past the crackling.

"Rose? Priestess? Doctor? Can you hear me?" Jack called out. The three hurried over to the radio, the Doctor picking it up. "I'm back on my ship. Used the emergency teleport. Sorry I couldn't take you."

The Priestess frowned in some confusion and picked up the wires that had been ripped out of the back of the radio.

"It's security-keyed to my molecular structure. I'm working on it, hang in there."

"How are you speaking to us?" The Priestess asked Jack, sharing a look with the Doctor.

"Om-Com. I can call anything with a speaker grille."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Now there's a coincidence."

"What is?" Jack asked.

"The child can Om-Com as well." The Priestess explained.

Rose's eyebrows furrowed. "It can?"

The Doctor nodded. "Anything with a speaker grille. Even the TARDIS phone."

"What, you mean the Child can phone us?" Rose asked them, carefully.

"And I can hear you." The child suddenly sang through the radio, making all of them reel back in shock. "Coming to find you. Coming to find you."

There was a pause and none of them even dared to breathe, let alone speak.

"Doctor, Priestess, can you hear that?" Jack murmured, through his own connection.

"Loud and clear." The Doctor said, grimly.

"I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do." Jack said.

"Coming to find you, mummy!"

"Remember this one, Rose?" Jack asked, slyly.

Rose looked ever so slightly uncomfortable as the Doctor and the Priestess turned to look at her, questioningly.

"Our song." Rose explained, her cheeks going red and her eyes shifting from side to side, never settling on the Doctor or the Priestess.

The Doctor and the Priestess nodded, the two of them feeling uncomfortable themselves. Rose shifted from foot to foot, smiling embarrassedly.

* * *

Rose shuffled around in the wheelchair, bored. The radio still played 'Moonlight Serenade' in the background. The buzzing of the sonic screwdriver echoed throughout the room, distinct from the slow, swing tunes. Rose spun her chair in the Doctor's direction.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked, cocking her head.

The Doctor was holding the sonic screwdriver up against the wall near the window. "Trying to set up a resonation pattern in the concrete. Loosen the bars."

A smile grew across Rose's face. "You don't think he's coming back, do ya?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Wouldn't bet my life."

"Why don't you trust him?" Rose asked, confusedly.

"Why do you?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow, although this gesture was unseen by Rose.

"Saved my life. Bloke-wise, that's up there with flossing." Rose explained, grinning. The Doctor didn't answer. Rose swallowed hard and looked at the Priestess, who was leaning her back against the wall, her eyes closed, and looked at the Doctor, steeling herself. "I trust him 'cos he's like you. Except with dating and dancing."

The Priestess let out a surprised laugh of amusement and the Doctor shot her look. She knew the Doctor danced. She had seen it firsthand. He had been quite the dancer in his first body. They had both been so young. They used to dance in the meadows outside of his house, whenever they were on a break from the Academy. And when they were in the Academy, he used to twirl her around to random music in the middle of his bedroom.

"What?" Rose frowned, looking in between the two, seeing that some information was passing between the two and desperately wanting to know what it was.

"You just assume I'm..." The Doctor couldn't finish the sentence.

"What?" Rose smirked.

"You just assume that I don't... dance." The Doctor managed to say, reluctantly, his face smoothed over but his eyes vulnerable.

Rose bit her lip through the grin on her face "What, are you telling me you _do__... _dance?"

The Doctor scowled. "Nine hundred years old, me. I've been around a bit. I think you can assume that at some point I've _danced_."

Rose's grin grew impossibly wide. "You?!" She exclaimed, incredulously.

"Problem?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't the universe implode or something if you... dance?" Rose snickered.

"Well, I've got the moves but I wouldn't want to boast." The Doctor said, off-handedly.

Rose, still grinning, stopped shuffling around in her wheelchair and stood to her feet to turn the music louder.

The Priestess watched her carefully, her eyes wide open, wondering what Rose was up to. She had to admit there was a pang in her belly, as if someone had just punched her in the stomach, when she saw Rose slither her way towards the Doctor, completely ignoring her presence. She didn't know if it was jealousy or not. She had only ever experienced jealousy once in relation to the Doctor and she had felt so silly afterwards that she had never dared to feel the same way again. This was the Doctor and it was practically written into the walls of the universe that he belonged to her. She had known it from the moment she had met him as an eight-year-old girl. Even when she had thought he had moved on from her, back in Van Statten's dungeons, she had never had the urge to feel jealous of Rose, she had never had the chance. But now, she was definitely feeling something akin to envy. She was furious that she couldn't even disclose to the blonde child exactly what the nature of her relationship to the Doctor was. For the umpteenth time in her entire life, she cursed the visions she had, knowing that it was her duty to see that they went ahead according to what she saw. She knew exactly what kind of Rose she had seen in her vision. She knew exactly why Rose had chosen to make such a decision. And she was terrified. For Rose. But also for herself and for the Doctor. What would it mean for all of them if Rose ended up in that way?

The Doctor looked around, completely wrong-footed by Rose's actions, and gifted the Priestess with a helpless look, hoping that she would do something to help him. Rose walked slowly forward, all flirtatious and seductive, something that set the Priestess' teeth on edge and chilled her to the bone. The Doctor looked determinedly back to the wall.

"You've got the moves?" Rose murmured. The Doctor looked back at her and she held her hand out, beckoningly. "Show me your moves."

The Doctor paled and looked at the Priestess, quickly, before turning back to Rose. "Rose, I'm trying to resonate concrete." He stammered.

Rose refused to lower her hand just yet. "Jack'll be back, he'll get us out. So come on… the world doesn't end 'cos the Doctor dances." She said, playfully.

The Doctor sighed, reluctantly, and snapped off his sonic screwdriver, sliding it back into his jacket pocket and stepping away from the window. He walked over to her, an odd expression on his face, steeling himself to get through this. He stood in front of Rose for a moment, not moving an inch, wondering if he should take this step or not. It wasn't a step he usually took with his companions and he would have to make sure that the Priestess didn't take it the wrong way. He took Rose's hands, Rose staring up at him with apprehension. He turned her hands over and looked at them.

"Barrage balloon?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

Rose frowned, completely lost by the turn of the conversation. "… What?"

The Doctor turned her hands over, her palms facing him. "You were hanging from a barrage balloon."

Rose's eyes dawned with realisation. "Oh... yeah. About two minutes after you left me. Thousands of feet above London… middle of a German air-raid… Union Jack _all _over my chest."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and looked at the Priestess with a look of disbelief, a little worried by the blank look on her face. "I've travelled with a lot of people, but you're setting new records for jeopardy-friendly." He went back to examining her hands.

"Is this you dancing? 'Cos I've got notes." Rose said, dryly.

"Hanging from a rope a thousand feet above London. Not a cut, not a bruise." The Doctor showed Rose her own hands.

"Yeah, I know. Captain Jack fixed me up..."

"Oh, we're calling him 'Captain Jack' now, are we?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Well, his name's Jack and he's a captain..."

The Doctor smirked in a self-satisfied way, a way that only made the Priestess feel worse. "He's not really a captain, Rose."

"D'you know what Ithink? I think you're experiencing Captain envy." Rose whispered, conspiratorially.

The Doctor shrugged, not denying it, immediately, knowing that the fear that the Priestess would run off with the handsome captain was still in his mind, even if he knew it was stupid. He took her hands and they started to dance.

"You'll find your feet at the end of your legs. You may care to move them." Rose crowed.

"If ever he was a captain, he's been defrocked." The Doctor explained amidst their swaying.

Rose started to smile. "Yeah? Shame I missed that."

"Actually, I quit. Nobody takes my frock." Jack's voice echoed through the space and they looked up in surprise, while the Priestess rolled her eyes.

Rose and the Doctor stared in amazement as they realised that they were somehow standing in Jack's ship. They looked around at their surroundings, the Doctor stepping away from Rose, quickly, and towards the Priestess, feeling lighter all of a sudden the moment he reached her side.

"Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are so sweet. Sorry about the delay. I had to take the nav-com offline to override the teleport security."

"You can spend ten minutes overriding your own protocols? Maybe you should remember whose ship it is." The Doctor growled.

"Oh, I do. She was _gorgeous__._" Jack smirked and the Priestess smiled. "Like I told her, be back in five minutes." He ducked into a compartment underneath the console.

The Doctor looked around. "This is a Chula ship."

"Yeah, just like that medical transporter. Only, this one _is_ dangerous." Jack called out from underneath the dashboard.

The Doctor snapped his fingers and his hands were instantly surrounded by tiny golden particles.

"They're what fixed my hands up! Jack called 'em, um..." Rose wracked her brain for the words.

"Nanogenes." The Priestess finished.

"Nanogenes, yeah."

"Sub-atomic robots." The Priestess explained.

"There's millions of them in here, see? Burned my hand on the console when we landed, all better now. They activate when the bulk head's sealed. Check you out for damage, fix any physical flaws." The Doctor banished the Nanogenes with a wave of his hand and turned to Jack. "Take us to the crash site. We need to see your space junk."

Jack rolled his eyes. "As soon as I get the nav-com back online." The Doctor and the Priestess narrowed their eyes at him. "Make yourself comfortable. Carry on with whatever it was you were..." Jack gestured to Rose and the Doctor in a way that made the Priestess feel uncomfortable. "… Doing."

The Doctor scowled at the implication, reaching out to take the Priestess' hand in between their bodies. "We were talking about dancing!" He protested, vehemently.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "It didn't look like talking."

"Didn't feel like dancing." Rose said, playfully.

* * *

Rose was sitting and talking to Jack. Jack sat, comfortably, in the pilot's seat and the Doctor and the Priestess were sitting some way behind Rose, not taking part in the conversation but listening anyway.

"So, you used to _be _a Time Agent, now you're trying to con them?" Rose asked, incredulously.

Jack started to fiddle with the controls on the console. "If it makes me sound any better, it's not for the money." He said, reluctantly.

"For what?" Rose asked, frowning.

"Woke up one day when I was working for them, found they'd stolen two years of my memories. I'd like them back." Jack said, grimly.

The Priestess looked up to stare, intently, at Jack, him meeting her gaze, something passing in between them.

"They stole your memories?" Rose asked, aghast.

Jack nodded. "Two years of my life. No idea what I did." The Doctor and the Priestess watched him, carefully. "Your friends over there don't trust me. And for all I know... they're right not to."

The computer beeped and broke the tension.

Jack looked at something on the console. "Okay, we're good to go." The Doctor and the Priestess looked up. "Crash site?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

* * *

A/N: Whew! Done! I made the dance scene between the Doctor and Rose for a reason, which was sort of explained in this chapter, but will be elaborated on in the future. The Priestess did get jealous seeing them, but more out of resignation than anything else. And Rose is slightly jealous of the relationship that the Doctor and the Priestess have. I'm really just trying to set up the status quo for Season 2 before I end this story and start the next one. Season 2's where we'll see the real explosions between Rose and the Priestess and Season 3's where we'll see the fallout.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!


	12. The Doctor Dances: Fires Were Started

Dream Weaver – Chapter 12

A/N: Here's the last chapter of _The Doctor Dances._ Here's the fallout of the dance scene between the Doctor and Rose and I wonder if Jack will find out the nature of the Doctor's relationship with the Priestess? She doesn't exactly have a reason to hide it from him. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter.

Replies to Reviews:

NicoleR85: The Priestess might hold off on Rose due to her respect for the Doctor, but I can assure you, if Rose does push her, the Priestess will blow up. The problems between the Doctor and the Priestess won't be solved very early, sorry. Those problems started a long time before Rose came into the picture, they will just be increased by Rose's presence. Rose won't find out about the Doctor's relationship with the Priestess completely for a very long time, but she may have her suspicions during Season 2.

CaveCoding: Thank you!

DRWfangirl: You'll have to wait and see whether the Doctor dances with the Priestess ;) Well, I plan to revamp River's storyline in this story. She won't have romantic feelings for the Doctor in this story because I felt like the Priestess will have a lot of trauma due to Rose and I didn't want to add another problematic woman in her life. As for her relationship to the Priestess, I won't disclose anything because it is my favourite part of the story, but they will be very close.

The Dreamer: Um, I haven't quite decided yet. It'll probably be somewhere in the middle, if anything. Rose will definitely develop feelings for the Doctor in Season 2.

masterdude94: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the jealous Doctor in this story. We'll see more of that in this chapter, I promise!

Warnings: Flirting etc.

* * *

The Doctor Dances: Fires Were Started

_The computer beeped and broke the tension._

_Jack looked at something on the console. "Okay, we're good to go." The Doctor and the Priestess looked up. "Crash site?" Jack raised an eyebrow._

The Doctor, the Priestess, Jack and Rose walked over the rail station near the bombsite and peered over the barbed wire, mindful of where their hands went.

"There it is." Jack spotted a soldier pacing up and down. "Ay, they've got Algy on duty. Must be important."

"We have to get past." The Priestess murmured.

"The words 'distract the guard' head in my general direction." Rose said, a little smugly.

Jack shook his head. "I don't think that'd be such a good idea."

"Don't worry... I can handle it."

Jack clucked his tongue. "I've got to know Algy quite well since I've been in town. Trust me. You're not his type. I'll distract him." He started to walk away and turned back to look at them. "Don't wait up." He winked and off he went.

Rose looked at the Doctor and the Priestess, confusedly.

"Relax, he's a 51st century guy. He's just a bit more flexible when it comes to dancing." The Doctor said, grinning.

"_How_ flexible?" Rose frowned.

"By the 51st century, human beings have managed to expand into at least half the galaxy." The Priestess explained.

"Meaning?"

The Doctor grinned, fiercely. "So many species, so little time..."

"What," Rose's eyes widened, comically. "That's what we do when we get out there? That's our mission? We seek new life, and... and..." She couldn't even finish the sentence properly.

"Dance." The Doctor finished and started to snigger.

Jack jumped down onto the rail track on the bomb site, where the Algy was pacing.

"Hey, tiger! How's it hanging?" Jack called out, playfully.

Algy turned to Jack, looking inquisitive as his head cocked to the side. "Mummy?"

Jack frowned in confusion. "Algy, old sport, it's me." He said, slowly.

"Mummy?" Algy called out again.

Jack's smile faded and was replaced with horror. "It's me, Jack."

"Jack?" Algy managed to say. He observed Jack with child-like curiousity. "Are you my... mummy?"

And he coughed, falling to his knees, immediately. Before the very eyes of Jack, the Priestess, the Doctor and Rose, Algy's face transformed into a gas mask. Jack was horror-struck, while the other soldiers began to rush over.

"Stay back!" The Doctor and the Priestess shouted out, warningly.

"You men! Stay away!" Jack yelled.

The Priestess, Rose and the Doctor rushed over to Jack and Algy, who was lying on the floor, lifeless. Rose stared down at him in shock, having yet to see someone transform into one of the gas-mask creatures.

"The effect is becoming airborne. It is accelerating." The Priestess said, grimly.

"What's keeping _us_safe?" Rose asked, fearfully.

"Nothing." The Doctor shook his head.

The air-raid siren sounded again.

Jack looked up and paled. "Ah, here they come again."

"All we need." Rose's eyes widened. "Didn't you say a bomb was gonna land... _here_?"

Jack nodded.

"Never mind about that." The Doctor snapped.

"If the contaminants are air-borne now, there will only be hours left." The Priestess said, grimly.

"For what?" Jack frowned.

"'Til nothing. 'Til forever. For the entire human race. And can anyone else hear singing?" The Doctor asked, suddenly.

* * *

The door to a shed creaked open and the Doctor and the Priestess poked their head into the shed, nodding when they saw Nancy turn her head, sharply, to look at them. They motioned for her to continue singing, when they saw one of the soldiers, who had been turned into one of the gas-mask people, fast asleep due to her ministrations.

"Rock-a-by baby..." Nancy shook her hands, furiously, trying to draw attention to the handcuffs that laced her wrists. "... on the tree tops, when the wind blows the cradle will rock..."

The Doctor approached her, taking his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket pocket, while the Priestess kept an eye on the sleeping soldier. He flicked it on and began to unlock her handcuffs. Rose and Jack appeared in the doorway, wondering what was happening. The handcuffs snapped and Nancy stood up, the Priestess leading everyone out of the shed, leaving the gas-mask soldier fast asleep.

* * *

They went back to the bomb site, and the Doctor and Jack pulled off the tarp that was covering the Chula med-ship, which was hiding it from view, while the Priestess, Nancy and Rose watched.

"You see? Just an ambulance." Jack said, smugly.

"That's an ambulance?" Nancy asked, incredulously.

The Priestess frowned at the med-ship and turned to look at Nancy, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. "You might as well know the truth. That ambulance originates from another planet."

Jack gazed at the controls with scepticism. "They've been trying to get in."

The Doctor and the Priestess gave him identical withering looks. "_Of course_ they have." They snapped, simultaneously.

Jack began to enter the code onto the panel.

"They think they've got their hands on Hitler's latest secret weapon. What're you doing?" The Doctor frowned, suspiciously.

"Well, the sooner you see this thing is empty, the sooner you'll see I had nothing to do with it." Jack scowled.

The controls exploded with sparks, making all of them reel backwards with shock, as an alarm sounded through the air, filling all of them with dread.

"Didn't happen last time." Jack paled.

The Doctor glared at him. "It hadn't crashed last time. They're the emergency protocols."

The Priestess squinted into the darkness, in the direction of the fences, and shuddered as a chilly feeling enveloped her skin, going straight to her bones and making her stomach churn in discomfort. She frowned and took a step forward, making out the forms of people walking towards the bomb site, on the other side of the fence.

"Doctor, you may wish to come and see this." The Priestess said, slowly. _I believe we may have company._ She told him, grimly.

The Doctor squinted and paled, when he saw that the gates at the other side of the bomb site were shaking, imperceptibly.

"Captain, secure those gates!" The Priestess ordered.

"Why?" Jack frowned in confusion, not being able to see the coming danger from his vantage point.

"Just do it!" The Doctor snapped, harshly.

Jack obeyed, immediately, chastised by the Doctor's tone. The Doctor turned to Nancy.

"Nancy, how'd you get in here?" The Doctor asked, hurriedly.

"I cut the wire." She stammered in reply.

"Show the Priestess." The Doctor ordered. He tossed the sonic screwdriver into her hands. "Setting two thousand four hundred and twenty eight D."

The Priestess nodded and took off, along with Nancy. Rose looked up at the Doctor with confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"The setting reattaches barbed wire. Come!" The Priestess shouted.

Jack slammed a gate shut.

* * *

The sonic screwdriver buzzed as the Priestess worked on the wire, reattaching it. Nancy held the two ends together for her as she fused them. They finished one set and started on another.

"Who are you? Who are any of you?" Nancy asked, slowly.

The Priestess smiled to herself. "It is quite a disbelieving story. You may find it difficult to believe me if I explained everything to you." She told Nancy, a soft smile on her face.

"You just told me that was an ambulance from another world. There are people running around with gas-mask heads calling for their mummies, and the sky's full of Germans dropping bombs on me. Tell me. Do you think there's anything left I couldn't believe?" Nancy raised an eyebrow, daring her to tell her.

The Priestess nodded and her smile grew, infinitesimally, until it was blinding. Nancy stared at her, enraptured by the bright smile that seemed to make every flaw in her face completely pointless and minute. The Priestess had never experienced the all-consuming faith and love her Bondmate seemed to have in these human beings. She had never understood it. She had respected and loved them because her Bondmate respected and loved them, but nothing more. But being faced with a woman like Nancy, it warmed her from the inside out. Such strength, conviction, bravery and resolve from someone so young heartened her.

"We are time travellers." The Priestess said, slowly, searching her eyes for any sort of reaction.

"Mad, you are." Nancy shook her head.

"We have a machine that travels through time and space. I would not lie about something of this nature." The Priestess said, slowly.

Nancy shook her head again. "It's not that. All right, you've got a time travel machine. I believe ya. Believe anything, me." She looked up at the sky. "But what future?"

The Priestess frowned as they heard the explosions in mid-air. Planes soared around, dropping bombs all over the city, setting it on fire.

"Nancy, this is not the end, I promise you that." The Priestess said, calmly. "I know what your surroundings may tell you. But you should have faith and hope that it ends well for everyone."

Nancy stared at her as if she were a mad woman. "How can you say that?" She asked, incredulously. "_Look_at it."

Rose stepped forward, ready to offer whatever she could to the conversation. "Listen to me, Nancy. I was _born_in this city. I'm from here, in like, 50 years time." She smiled, comfortingly.

Nancy frowned. "From here?" She asked, reluctantly.

"She is a Londoner." The Priestess smiled, encouragingly, at both of the young girls, a tad more gratefully at Rose, who beamed back. "From your future." She told Nancy.

"But... but she's not…"

"What?" The Priestess raised an eyebrow.

"German." Nancy finished, quietly, and looked everywhere but the Priestess and Rose.

The Priestess nodded to herself. "While foreknowledge is dangerous and the Doctor may smite me where I stand if he knew I was telling you this, although that would be rather hypocritical of him, seeing as he has done it himself a few times in his past, I cannot stand by and watch a woman drown in her own hopelessness. I, too, know the pain of loss and grief and I have watched my own people, my family, my friends burn before my very eyes." She told Nancy, softly, whose eyes widened.

"This war," The Priestess began and swallowed hard. "I swear to you that it will not touch these shores. The Germans will not win this war, I can assure you." Nancy furrowed her brow. The Priestess gritted her teeth, steeling herself for what she was about to do. "I need you to make me a promise, Nancy. Will you swear you will never tell another soul what am I about to tell you?"

Nancy nodded, a little fearful of the information the Priestess was about to impart.

"You will win this war." The Priestess said, smiling a little sadly.

Nancy swallowed hard and her eyes widened, practically shaking as she did so. "We win?" She asked, incredulously.

The Priestess nodded, smiling. Nancy half-laughed, feeling tears come to her eyes as she took in this unbelievably good news.

"Come." The Priestess motioned for the other two women to head back to the Doctor and Jack.

* * *

Nancy walked ahead of the Priestess and Rose, not too far away, just enough for her not to hear what the Priestess and Rose were saying to each other.

"When you said 'law', what'd you mean?" Rose asked the Priestess, under her breath.

The Priestess hesitated, hitching a slow breath, as the monotoned voices from her youth blared in her ears. She ran her tongue over her teeth and bit her lower lip, biting into the bright pink flesh.

"My dear, our people were ruled by laws. Laws that governed our observance of Time. We had specific duties and rules that we were obliged to follow. One of those laws was to not interfere with Time Unaware races, such as human beings. And there are rules that a person must not use knowledge of their own future for their own purpose and benefit. That is why I made Nancy promise me she would not tell another soul what I told her." She explained.

"Is that why…" Rose hesitated, pursing her lips. "Is that why you got so angry when I saved my dad from dying?"

The Priestess nodded and looked at her, carefully. "Rose, I will not apologise for my treatment of you during that catastrophe. I was well within my rights to be angry at you for what you did. But, I want you to understand why I acted the way I did. There are rules that govern a Time Lord's or a Time Lady's treatment of Time. And we broke so many of those rules that day, Rose. There is a law about creating a Grandfather paradox and we broke that one."

Rose frowned. "What's a Grandfather paradox? Is that the one where a boy goes back in time and kills his grandfather?"

The Priestess nodded, giving her proud look. "You saved your father's life that day. But the life you have lived is a product of every choice that you have made, that your mother has made and that your father made. Your father's death had an explicable effect on your life. His death made you what you are today. When you saved his life, you, inadvertently, changed your own back-story. You made it so you never lived the life that you needed to live. You may have never chosen to travel with the Doctor, you may have never even _met_ the Doctor. You would never have gone back in time to stop your father from dying and that, itself, is a paradox." She paused. "I do want you to know that, had I been in your position, and I could have saved the life of someone I loved, dearly, then, I would have made the exact same decision as you did."

"You would?" Rose asked, softly, reading the grief in her gaze.

The Priestess nodded, sadly. "The Doctor and I… we have lost a great deal of people we loved on our planet. While we may not have always approved of some of choices our people made, we still loved them all and we mourn them, everyday. We lost our family during the war. If we had the chance, I am sure we would take the chance to save their lives."

Rose placed a comforting arm around the Priestess' shoulders and tugged her against her body. "Thanks for sharing that with me. It means a lot." She gave the Priestess a shy smile, which she returned, feeling herself soften inside for the little blonde girl.

Rose had been reluctant to become overly close with the Priestess, especially after the disastrous time they had during 1987. She had feared that the Priestess was still angry about that, like the Doctor was. But, unlike the Doctor, she didn't have a previous friendship to fall back on with the Priestess. She wanted to be friends with the Priestess. The woman was smart and strong and adorably naïve when she wanted to be. Not to mention, she kept the Doctor on his toes and she admired that quality in people. Maybe they had needed this chat to clear the air between them and start to form a relationship, like the one she had with the Doctor.

* * *

Jack opened the hatch of the Chula med-ship. "It's empty. Look at it." Jack told the Doctor.

Rose, the Priestess and Nancy joined them.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "What do you expect in a Chula medical transporter? Bandages? Cough drops? Rose?"

Rose shrugged. "I dunno."

The Priestess nodded. "Yes, you do." She mimed snapping her fingers.

Rose's eyes widened, as they dawned with realisation. "Nanogenes!" She exclaimed, triumphantly.

The Doctor looked at Jack, glaring at him with ice in his eyes. "It wasn't empty, Captain. There was enough Nanogenes in there to rebuild a species."

Jack reeled back in horror, his face ashen and his entire body shaking. "Oh, God." He muttered.

The Doctor looked at him, knowingly. He shook his head in annoyance and disbelief. "Getting it now, are we? When the ship crashes, the nanogenes escape. Billions upon billions of them, ready to fix all the cuts and bruises in the whole world."

The Priestess stepped forward. "But what they find first is a dead child, most likely killed earlier that night and wearing a gasmask."

Rose looked at her, horrified. "And they brought him back to life? They can _do_ that?"

The Priestess graced her with a sad smile. "My dear, life is easy. It is but a quirk of matter."

The Doctor nodded. "Nature's way of keeping meat fresh. Nothing to a nanogene. One problem, though… these Nanogenes… they're not like the ones on your ship. This lot have never seen a human being before. Don't know what a human being's supposed to look like." Jack and Rose and Nancy were listening to him, intently, processing this. "All they've got to go on is one little body, and there's not a lot left. But they carry right on. They do what they're programmed to do, they patch it up. Can't tell what's gasmask and what's skull, but they do their best. Then off they fly… off they go, work to be done."

The Priestess narrowed her eyes at the med-ship. "You see… now, they believe they know what the appearance and genetic makeup of a human being is and for them, it is time to fix the rest. And they will never stop. They will never, _ever_ stop. The entire human race will be torn down and rebuilt in the form of one terrified beyond belief child, looking for his mother."

"_Nothing_ in the world can stop it!" The Doctor shouted.

Jack swallowed hard, abashed and shaken by the Doctor's and the Priestess' words. "I didn't know." He protested, defiantly.

The Doctor fixed him with a cold stare for a few seconds, one that even chilled the Priestess, who had known him for so long and who knew all of his moods and glares like the back of her hand. He, then, went back to examining the med-ship, starting his work with his sonic screwdriver. Nancy stared into the distance, beyond the fence. The gas-mask people had arrived, still chanting a diatribe of "mummy".

"Priestess? Rose?" Nancy called out, scared.

The two women rushed to Nancy's side, following her gaze. The gas-mask people stumbled in their direction in rows upon rows, over the rail-track. They seemed to be quite a distance away, but still too close for comfort. The Priestess spun on her feet and dashed towards the med-ship, frowning at the flashing red light on the control panel.

"The light is drawing the gas-mask people here." The Priestess told the Doctor, grimly.

The Doctor frowned down at the med-ship. "The ship thinks it's under attack. It's calling up the troops. Standard protocol."

Rose joined them. "But... the gasmask people aren't troops..."

"They are now." The Priestess said, darkly. "This is a battle-field ambulance. The Nanogenes will not simply fix you up. They will prepare you for the front line. Equip you, programme you."

Rose's eyes widened. "That's why the Child's so strong. Why it could do that phoning thing."

The Priestess nodded. "Yes, it is a fully-equipped Chula warrior."

"All that weapons tech in the hands of a hysterical four year old, looking for his mummy. And now there's an army of them." The Doctor chanced a look at the approaching gas-mask people.

The gas-mask people surrounded the fence by this point. The five of them looked around, nervously.

"Why don't they attack?" Jack asked, worriedly.

"Good little soldiers. Waiting for their commander." The Doctor replied.

"The child?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Jamie." Nancy snapped.

Jack frowned down at her in confusion. "What?"

Nancy glared at him, offended. "Not 'the child'. Jamie."

The Doctor and the Priestess looked at her.

"So, how long until the bomb falls?" Rose asked Jack.

Jack looked down at the device on his wrist. "Any second."

"What's the matter, Captain? Bit close to the volcano for you?" The Doctor asked, mockingly.

"He's just a little boy." Nancy whispered, suddenly.

The Priestess slid closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I know." She said, soothingly.

"He's just a little boy who wants his mummy." Nancy's throat felt swollen and closed up.

"I know." The Doctor said, lightly. He looked the Priestess in the eye, who matched his gaze, evenly. "There isn't a little boy born who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mummy." He turned away, seeing the pain form in her brown eyes. "And this little boy can."

"So what're we gonna _do_?" Rose asked, loudly.

The Doctor shrugged, feeling lost and uncertain for the umpteenth time since they had landed in 1941. "I don't know."

Rose sighed.

Tears welled in Nancy's eyes, as she fought off a sob that would have wracked her body. "It's my fault." She said, hoarsely.

"No." The Priestess said, shaking her head.

"It is. It's all my fault." Nancy protested and looked down.

The Doctor looked at her, his eyes soft. "How can it be your-" He began, gently, and broke off, suddenly, looking the Priestess in the eye, horror and worry passing in between them.

_Oh, now that makes sense._ The Doctor said, wonder and awe brimming in his voice.

_Of course it does, now I feel foolish for not realising it earlier._ The Priestess said, grimly.

_The boy kept going after Nancy because he knew._ The Doctor murmured.

The Doctor spun around, looking at all of the gas-mask people positioned by the fence, calling for their mummy, and then, he turned to face Nancy, who was now sobbing uncontrollably in the Priestess' arms. He stared at her.

"Nancy, what age are you? Twenty? Twenty-one? Older than you look, yes?" The Doctor asked, hurriedly.

A bomb fell nearby, making Rose and Jack flinch from the sound of the impact.

"Doctor, that bomb. We've got _seconds._" Jack said, warningly.

Another landed, seeming even closer than the first one.

"You can teleport us out." Rose said, helplessly, to Jack.

The Doctor and the Priestess were paying either of them no attention, their eyes fixed on the sobbing Nancy.

Jack shook his head. "Not you guys. The nav-com's back online. Gonna take too long to override the protocols."

The Doctor's eyes remained fixed on Nancy, not even bothering to give Jack a second look. "So it's volcano day. Do what you've got to do."

Rose paled and stared at Jack, the betrayal evident in her eyes. "Jack?" She called out, hoping he wasn't about to do what she thought he was going to do.

Jack looked at her, almost apologetically. He steeled himself and teleported himself out, making Rose flinch back out of shock and hurt, a pang hitting her low in the stomach, as if someone had punched her.

"How old were you five years ago? Fifteen? Sixteen? Old enough to give birth, anyway." The Doctor said, knowingly, to Nancy.

Nancy, unable to control her crying, glanced up at him and looked at the Priestess, then turned away again, shame-faced.

"He is not your brother, is he?" The Priestess asked, quietly. Nancy shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. "An unwed, teenage single mother in 1941. You hid. You lied." Nancy nodded, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks. "You even lied to him." She finished, softly, hurting for Nancy.

The gates swung open and the little boy stood at the forefront of an army of gas-mask people, ready to charge at the first command.

"Are you my mummy?" The child called out.

The Doctor jumped off the med-ship. "He's gonna keep asking, Nancy. He's never gonna stop. Tell him."

Nancy shook her head, not being able to say a word. The gas-mask people began to walk forward.

The Priestess bit her lip. "Nancy…" She began, softly, placing her hands on her shoulders. "The future of the human race is in your hands. Trust us... and tell him." She swallowed hard. "You know the pain of losing him. At least give him the answer he so desperately craves for."

Nancy sniffed, tearful, and the little boy approached them.

"Are you my mummy?"

The Doctor and the Priestess gave Nancy a gentle push in the direction of the child.

"Are you my mummy? Are you my mummy?"

Nancy's lip quivered. "Yes." She whispered. She drew in a sharp breath. "Yes. I _am _your mummy." She sobbed out, her voice much stronger than the first time.

Nancy faced the little boy and the child walked forwards.

"Mummy?"

"I'm here." Nancy said.

"Are you my mummy?"

Nancy kneeled in front of him. "I'm here."

"Are you my mummy?"

"Yes." Nancy whispered.

"He doesn't understand. There's not enough of him left." The Doctor muttered to the Priestess, fearfully.

The Priestess held onto his hand with fervour. "Have faith. It will work." She said, under her breath.

Nancy looked at the little boy with fear and love. "I amyour mummy. I will always be your mummy. I'm so sorry." Nancy said, tearfully and sincerely.

And she took the little boy into her arms, no longer afraid of what might happen if she touched him. The Nanogenes surrounded them, making them glow with a golden light.

"I am so, so sorry." Nancy whispered to the little boy's shoulder.

Rose walked up to them, standing in between the Doctor and the Priestess. "What's happening?"

Nancy was still hugging her son, her eyes closed and stroking his hair, affectionately.

"Doctor, it's changing her, we should-" Rose took a step forward to pull Nancy away.

The Priestess held out a hand, blocking her. She shook her head. "No."

She and the Doctor stared, apprehensively and intently and excitedly, at the mother and son, enveloped in the golden glow through the Nanogenes.

"Come on, please. Come on, you _clever _little Nanogenes… figure it out!" The Doctor muttered, furiously. "The mother. She's the mother! There's gotta be enough information, figure it out!"

"What's happening?" Rose whispered, frustratedly.

The Priestess clucked her tongue and pointed at Nancy and Jamie. "See! The Nanogenes are recognising the same DNA between mother and son."

Nancy fell away from the child to the ground, as the Nanogenes disappeared, dissolving into thin air. The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose rushed over, the Priestess helping Nancy to her feet, as she and the Doctor stared down at the child, barely breathing, lest it would change what would happen next.

"Oh, come on. Give me a day like this. Give me this one."

When she heard the Doctor mutter this, she felt as though someone had struck her across the face. She thought she knew the extent of the Doctor's guilt, but it was times like this that she realised that his actions in the War ached at him in a similar way that they ached at her. She knew she felt so much guiltier about the actions they had both done during the War. She had been the catalyst for him and she had known for at least a century prior what he would do at the end. From time to time, she wondered if a small part of him blamed her for creating the Moment. She just didn't know how to broach the subject with him. She took a few steps forward and placed a comforting, yet hesitant hand on his shoulder. One of the Doctor's hands came to cover hers, squeezing before leaving it.

The Doctor reached out to touch the gas-mask, his hand trembling as he did so. He removed the mask, revealing a perfectly ordinary, very sweet looking little boy with blonde hair underneath. Nancy paled and her eyes widened with delighted wonder. The Doctor and the Priestess laughed, ecstatically, while Rose beamed at the little boy. The Doctor lifted the little boy into the air, swinging him around. The Priestess flinched, slightly, and felt the tiny bit of grief that thrummed inside of her be enveloped by joy.

The Doctor laughed, loudly. " Welcome back! Twenty years 'til pop music, you're gonna loveit." He crowed, hugging Jamie and laughing.

"What happened?" Nancy asked in wonder.

"The Nanogenes recognised the superior information, the parent DNA." The Priestess explained, reaching out to smooth a hand across the little boy's blonde hair, smiling, fondly, down at him.

"They didn't change _you_ because _you_ changed them! Haha!" The Doctor plonked Jamie down in front of Nancy. "Mother knows best!"

Nancy shook with joy and happiness and relief, almost at the point of sobbing. A bomb landed nearby, startling the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose.

"Doctor, that bomb..." Rose began, worriedly.

The Doctor shook his head, unable to wipe the smile from his face. "Taken care of it."

Rose frowned in confusion. "How?" She asked.

The Doctor gestured to Nancy and Jamie. "Psychology!"

The bomb plummeted towards them, but was suddenly snatched out of the air by a blue force field. A moment later, Jack appeared, hovering in the blue beam of light, riding the bomb that was about to strike them.

"Doctor! Priestess!" He called down to them.

"Good lad!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"The bomb's already commenced detonation. I've put it in stasis but it won't last long." Jack said.

The Doctor shook his head. "Change of plan, don't need the bomb."

"Are you able to dispose of it?" The Priestess called out. "As safely as you possibly can?" She looked, worriedly, up at him. She knew that the stasis wouldn't last all that long, at least, not long enough for Jack to dispose of it and remove himself from danger. She realised that he would more than likely be caught in the blast.

Jack nodded down at her, smiling when he saw the grief and worry for him in her eyes. He turned to Rose. "Rose?"

"Yeah?" She looked up at him and smiled, shyly, still a little struck by his looks, although wary this time around by his perceived betrayal.

"Goodbye." Jack smiled back, sadly.

And he disappeared in a flash of light. Rose looked slightly let down and hung her head, and suddenly, Jack reappeared in the same flash of light.

"By the way, love the tee-shirt." Jack grinned.

Rose returned the grin, tugging the hem of her t-shirt a little self-consciously and embarrassedly. Jack disappeared again and his ship zoomed off into the night sky. The Doctor walked a few paces away, staring intently at his hands. He summed the Nanogenes, the golden particles swirling and fluttering around his hands.

"What're you doing?" Rose asked, confusedly.

"Software patch. Gonna email the upgrade. You want moves, Rose? I'll give you moves."

The Doctor smirked. He threw the Nanogenes away from him, tossing his hands away from his body, towards the gas-mask people, who were still milling around on the railway track. The Doctor gave his widest grin as the gas-mask people fell to the floor, the Nanogenes surrounding them.

"Everybody lives, Priestess. Just this once. Everybody lives!" The Doctor exclaimed, ecstatically.

The gas-mask people got to their feet, no longer gas-mask people, as the gas-masks had fallen from their faces. They had been restored to normal human beings. The Doctor bounded over to Doctor Constantine, while the Priestess watched him with fondness.

"Doctor Constantine. Who never left his patients. Back on your feet, constant doctor! World doesn't wanna get by without you just yet, and I don't blame it one bit." The Doctor gestured to the former gas-mask people still stumbling around the railway tracks. "These are your patients. All better, now!"

Doctor Constantine nodded, an expression of befuddlement on his face. "Yes, yes... so it seems. They also seem to be standing around in a disused railway station. Is there any particular reason for that?" He asked, slowly.

The Doctor shrugged, but continued to beam. "Yeah, well, you know, cutbacks. Listen, whatever was wrong with them in the past, you're probably gonna find that they're cured. Just tell them what a great doctor you are. Don't make a big thing of it. Okay?" He said.

And he rushed back over to the Priestess and Rose. He climbed onto the med-ship and turned to face the former gas-mask people.

"Right, you lot! Lots to do! Beat the Germans, save the world, don't forget the Welfare State!" He shouted, much to the Priestess' loving exasperation.

The Doctor bent down towards the control panel, glancing at the Priestess ever so often.

"Setting this to self-destruct, soon as everybody's clear. History says there was an explosion here. Who am I to argue with history?" He asked, smugly.

"As time has told, usually the first." The Priestess purred and the Doctor looked at her, grinning, her own matching the joy reflected in his.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Rose entered the TARDIS, the Priestess stroking one of the struts as she did so, while the Doctor was still chatting away, happily. The TARDIS hummed back, the golden glow from the struts seeping into the Priestess' skin and her mind, making her smile at the Time Rotor.

"The nanogenes will clean up the mess and switch themselves of, because I just told them to. Nancy and Jamie will go to Doctor Constantine for help, ditto, all in all, all things considered, fantastic!" The Doctor exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

The Priestess beamed back at him, rejoicing in his enthusiasm. It wasn't everyday she was able to see the Doctor so openly joyful. This Doctor was much more broody and prone to angry outbursts, while he may mask it under a face of enthusiasm and childlike wonder. She lived for the moments when she could see old Doctor in him. The original Doctor, the first Doctor, the one she had fallen in love with back in the Academy. Not that she didn't love this Doctor. She loved this one, every single one of his past regenerations and every single one of his future regenerations. But even she had to admit that she ached for the Doctor that dared to feel happy without feeling guilty for it.

Rose smiled at his enthusiasm. "Look at you, beaming away like you're Father Christmas!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Who says I'm not, red-bicycle-when-you-were-twelve?" He asked, smirking to himself.

Rose reeled back, staring at him, blankly. "What?!" She asked, startled.

The Doctor threw his arms out wide to embrace something. "And everybody lives, Priestess, Rose! Everybody lives!" He sighed, blissfully and tweaked a switch on the console. "I need more days like this."

"Doctor, Priestess…" Rose began.

"Go on, ask me anything. I'm on _fire_!" The Doctor crowed.

"What about Jack?" Rose murmured.

The Doctor's smile faded from his face and the Priestess tensed. She walked over to the Doctor, who carried on working, both of them looking as they didn't want to answer this particular question.

"Why'd he say goodbye?" Rose asked, carefully.

There was still no answer from either of them, both of them staring at the console, intently.

_We must save him._ The Priestess told the Doctor, softly.

_He made his choice_. The Doctor protested, not meaning any vindictive harm towards the ex-Time Agent, just not being able to see what they could do for him.

_We do not have the right to make that decision. It is our duty, at least as decent creatures in this universe, to save him if we possibly can. And it would not be such great difficulty for us, anyway. All we would have to do is materialise the TARDIS in his spaceship before the stasis falls from the bomb._ The Priestess said, sharply, the disappointment at his blasé attitude towards Jack's welfare and life clear in her voice. _I must say, this is very strange of you. Usually, you would jump at the chance to help someone in need. What is it about this man that irks you so much? _The Priestess had the fleeting and painful thought that maybe the Doctor was jealous of Jack, not over the Priestess, but because of the attention he had shown for Rose.

_It's not him, 'Nika._ The Doctor growled, although he did feel the burn of jealousy and possessiveness in his heart when he remembered the way the Captain's eyes had run, appreciatively, over the Priestess' body. _It's just… I don't know what we can do to save 'im._

_The Theta Sigma I know and love would do anything to save an innocent man's life._

The Doctor snorted, his jealousy winning out over his empathy and sorrow. _He's hardly an innocent man._

_Theta, that is enough!_ The Priestess growled in admonition. _That is besides the point, my love. He saved our lives from the bomb. Unless, of course, you cannot remember what just happened half an hour ago?_ She raised an eyebrow.

_Don't be sarcastic, Annika. It doesn't suit you. _The Doctor grumbled, seeing her point. He didn't exactly relish the thought of letting Jack die. _What do we do though? How do we save him?_

_We simply materialise the TARDIS in his spaceship. We would have to do this before the bomb falls from stasis and make sure that there is enough time for Jack to come into the TARDIS and for us to dematerialise before the explosion. _ The Priestess told him.

_So, you want him to travel with us, permanently? _The Doctor asked, confusedly.

_Yes, I want him to travel with us._ The Priestess said, calmly. _Of course, this is your ship and the final decision rests with you. If you truly do not want him to join us, then, I will trust in your judgement. _She said, sincerely. And she meant it. While she may not approve, she did trust the Doctor beyond everything in the universe. Usually, he had a reason for making a decision and she would listen to his logic behind it. She knew why Jack had to travel with them. In the vision she had seen, he had been a star figure. He had to be there when that happened to Rose.

She winced when she felt the electric shock course through her fingertips, from where they were touching the console, guessing that the TARDIS was chastising her for calling her 'his' ship.

_Don't be like that, love. Okay, fine, we'll bring him on board. But, any disasters, it's on your head, got that?_

_Of course. _The Priestess crooned and resisted the urge to kiss him in full view of Rose.

* * *

The Priestess pulled the doors of the TARDIS open, watching with a smile on her face as the Doctor and Rose danced to 'Moonlight Serenade'. She stepped out of the police box and leaned against the edge of the door, hearing him talking to the computer of his spaceship. While she may not have approved of Jack's actions at the beginning of the night, she had grown to like his easy, kind attitude and sharp wit. Not to mention, he had seemed to really change his outlook on life after meeting them and she wanted to see what sort of man he would become as he travelled with them.

"Funny thing... last time I was sentenced to death, I ordered four hyper-vodkas for my breakfast. All a bit of a blur after that. Woke up in bed with _both_ my executioners. Hmm, lovely couple. They stayed in touch!" Jack paused. "Can't say that about most executioners." He laughed. "Anyway. Thanks for everything, computer. It's been great."

"Most people realise once they have been hijacked." The Priestess called out from behind him.

Jack spun around and saw the Priestess standing against a dark blue police box with a blinding smile on her face.

"Come." She said, simply.

Jack leapt to his feet and they both walked into the TARDIS. Rose and the Doctor were waltzing around the console, at least, attempting to waltz around the console. Rose looked as if she were teaching the Doctor dance moves, making accepting noises as they danced. The Priestess watched in amusement and enthusiasm as Jack marvelled at the sheer size of the TARDIS.

"Right, and turn..." The Doctor spun her around, getting her arm all twisted. "Okay, okay, try and spin me again, but this time, don't get my arm up my back!" The Doctor looked sheepish, but Rose smiled. "No extra points for a half-nelson."

The Doctor pouted and looked at the Priestess, who stared at him with that same loving, amused look in her eyes. "I'm _sure _I used to know this stuff. Priestess, tell her I used to know this stuff."

The Priestess laughed and turned to Rose. "Actually, he was quite the dancer when he was younger."

The Doctor smiled, gratefully, at her and winked, making her blush. He turned to Jack. "Close the door, will you. Your ship's about to blow up. There's gonna be a draft."

The Priestess grinned and leaned against one of the coral struts. The Doctor flicked a switch on the console and the engines started up.

The Doctor threw his arms out wide in a welcoming gesture. "Welcome to the TARDIS."

"Much bigger on the inside..." Jack commented.

The Doctor looked at him with a measuring look in his eyes. "You'd better be." He said, warningly.

"I think what the Doctor's _trying _to say is... you may cut in." Rose grinned and stepped towards Jack.

"Rose! I've just remembered!" The Doctor exclaimed.

Rose looked at him with exasperation. "What?"

'In the Mood' started to blare from the speakers, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Lights flashed around the entire console room and the Doctor moved towards Rose in time with the music, snapping his fingers to the beat.

"I can dance!"

"Actually, Doctor... I thought Jack might like this dance." Rose said, slowly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, unfazed. "I'm sure he would, Rose. I'm absolutely certain. But who with?"

Rose chuckled and hopped up the steps to take the Doctor's hands, who spun her around, perfectly, making the Priestess roll her eyes. Jack turned to her and held out his hand, formally.

"Priestess, may I have this dance?" He asked, his eyes twinkling in mirth. "It's been almost an entire night since I've had a woman of your beauty on my arm." He nodded at Rose.

The Priestess laughed, throwing her head back, and took his hand, the two of them bounding up the stairs and joining the Doctor and Rose in the dance. Jack's hand fell to her waist and her hand gripped his shoulder, as he spun around to the beat of the music, she giggling as he did so. By chance, he managed to move them, so that they were standing right next to the Doctor, her back facing Rose's back and the Doctor facing Jack. It was only then that he could see the displeasure in the Doctor's eyes and read the unsaid warning.

_Hands and eyes off my Bondmate, pretty boy. Hands go below the waist and I'll toss you out of the TARDIS._

Jack smiled, smugly, and tipped her back over his arm, leaning forward as he did so, and pulled back, bringing her up, his grin growing as she collapsed into laughter against his shoulder.

* * *

"So, happy now?" The Doctor leaned in and pressed a kiss against the Priestess' neck.

The Priestess hummed and tilted her neck to the side, allowing him more access. "Yes, I am very happy."

"Good." The Doctor growled and crushed his lips against hers, muffling the whimper she made against his mouth, his hands circling her tiny waist, pulling her into him, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her nails reaching up to scratch at his hair.

"Oh, wow, sorry." A loud, masculine voice sounded from the entrance to the console room. "Didn't think anyone was in here."

The Doctor broke away from her with a groan and turned to glare at Jack. "Do you mind?" He snapped.

The Priestess smacked him on the arm and moved around the console to look at Jack. "We are very sorry you had to see that, Jack. Is something the matter?"

"_You_ might be sorry, but I'm not." She heard the Doctor mutter and nudged his leg with her foot.

"No, nothing's the matter. I'm just a bit lost." Jack looked in between the Priestess and the Doctor, a strange look on his face. "I'll… I'll just leave you to it then." He took off, away from the console room.

"Good." The Doctor muttered and slid his hands around the Priestess' waist, pulling her against his chest and pressing a kiss to the back of her neck.

She moved out of his embrace and looked at the Doctor, briefly. "Wait, I must make sure he is all right."

And she ran out of the console room, searching for Jack through the empty corridors, until she found him wandering somewhere around the garage and swimming pool, completely lost.

"Jack!" She called out and he stopped, turning to look at her with relief. "I must apologise. Sometimes, the TARDIS finds it humorous to play games with new guests."

She hooked her arm in his and led him through the corridors, on the way to the room she had assigned him to earlier that night.

"She should be fine from now on. She will make it easier for you as time passes, I promise." She smiled, reassuringly, at him and motioned for him to enter his room.

He smiled, shyly, back at her and his hand fell to the doorknob, when she placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. He looked at her, confusedly, but kept quiet, sensing there was something she wanted to say to him.

"Jack, regarding what you saw in the console room…" She hesitated. She bit her lower lip, unsure of how to proceed. "I am begging you not to say anything to Rose about my relationship with the Doctor."

"What?" Jack's eyebrows furrowed and he tensed. "She doesn't know?" He asked, confusedly.

"No, she is under the impression that the relationship between the Doctor and I is merely platonic. I would appreciate if she believed in that assumption for awhile longer." The Priestess murmured. She swallowed hard, wondering what he would say that.

"Oh," Jack pursed his lips. He was a con artist. He was so used to lying that it came like second nature to him. But he had thought the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose were so honest. This didn't make them less in Jack's eyes, but he had to wonder why the Priestess was so desperate to keep this a secret. "Okay, I'll keep your secret. But…" He hesitated. "Do you mind if I ask why you don't want her to know?"

The Priestess smiled at him. "I cannot tell you everything, but I am sure it will be explained to you in time. You know that the Doctor and I are a Time Lord and Time Lady, respectively, am I correct?" She asked. He nodded and she began to continue. "As an ex-Time Agent, I am sure you have a rudimentary knowledge of my peoples' purpose in the universe. There are certain events that must occur in the future, events that require Rose, the Doctor and I to make certain choices to maintain the timelines. And for that reason, I am asking you not to breath a word of the romantic nature of my relationship with the Doctor." She said, ducking her head down once she was finished.

Jack watched her with interest. He liked the Priestess. She was a spitfire if he had ever seen one. But, she was sweet and she softened the Doctor. And he had the sneaking suspicion that she was main reason the Doctor had invited him on board. He nodded to himself. He would keep her secret, because he respected the woman in front of him and he liked her. And he could see, even by the look she had in her eyes when he had teleported the three to his spaceship from the hospital and again, when the Doctor and Rose had been dancing around the console, that there was something there for her. She had been hurt. Maybe she was afraid that the Doctor would choose Rose over her in the future.

"Okay, I won't tell her anything, I promise." Jack said, softly, and smiled, reassuringly, at her.

The Priestess smiled, gratefully, at him and resisted the urge to sigh in relief. "I am ever so grateful, Jack." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

* * *

Her entire body thrashed in succession with her screams, her head twisting from side to side, her back arching strangely and bucking against the air. The Doctor attempted to pin her down as best as he could, but even he was starting to get terrified by the violent nature of this vision. His hearts and mind ached for her, knowing that he couldn't even bring her back from whatever horrifying place her mind and body had been thrown into through their connection.

"Come on, love, 'Nika, open your eyes, please, open your eyes." He whispered, desperately, hauling her up against his body, as she writhed against him.

He smoothed the hair away from her face, hoping that it would at least soothe her, but to no avail. She screamed again, hoarsely, her mouth pressed against his shoulder and he resisted the urge to sob, not even knowing what to do. He cursed himself for being so useless. What was the point of being Bonded to a woman for centuries if he didn't even know how to pull her out of a vision?

All she could see again was gold. Rose. _Oh, Rose, what will you do to us?_ She whimpered and the image changed, her head pounding. All she could see was Jack. A big, scraggly face in a jar. Confident, but lonely. Broken, but hopeful. Not with them. With others. But better. _He will be. I am so very sorry, Jack. I dearly wish I could spare you from this, but I cannot. _

And she took in a sharp breath, her eyes flying open. Her eyes searched everything and everywhere, desperately, a wild look in her eyes, until she settled back against his hard body, turning into his arms, his arms locking around her like a sanctuary which she craved.

She sobbed and he kissed her hair.

* * *

A/N: And here we have the beginning of a really sweet relationship between the Priestess Jack. I can say that they will more than likely be like siblings to each other, especially in Season 3. I hoped you liked the chapter, everyone. The ending was really hard to write as well. I made Rose dance with the Doctor again, because I'm trying to establish where her relationship with the Priestess will go in Season 2, when the Doctor turns all pretty. I also used this chapter to start a good relationship between Rose and the Priestess. They're on their way to becoming friends, I promise… at least, for now.

The Priestess is only telling Jack half of the truth and there's still more to come, I promise. But Jack will in no way be a romantic interest for the Priestess. They're just friends, who will turn into something really close, I promise.

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter and don't forget to review!


	13. Boom Town: Nuke 'Em High

Dream Weaver – Chapter 13

A/N: Okay, this should be an interesting chapter. I wonder what will happen in _Boom Town_. The Priestess has never met the Slitheen or Mickey. I wonder how she'll react towards the end of the episode.

Replies to Reviews:

NicoleR85: Rose won't find out very soon. The Priestess wants to make sure that Rose makes the same mistakes now as she would in cannon and the only reason that Rose made many of those decisions was because she was in love with Doctor. And I don't think Rose is selfish enough to fall in love with a man she knows is pretty much married. But the Priestess doesn't need Rose to know about her relationship with the Doctor to put Rose in her place ;) That's coming up in _The Christmas Invasion_, I promise. Don't worry, Rose's actions in Season 2 pissed me off as well. The Priestess will be questioning a lot of those decisions - just because she wants those decisions to happen doesn't mean she approves of all of them.

ThisIsMeAndYou: I won't disclose how the Priestess will change things in the story. As for whether the Doctor stays 100% faithful to the Priestess, that remains to be seen.

The Dreamer: Jack and the Priestess are going to be really close. Like very, very close. Which we'll see in the next few chapters and in _New Earth_. Rory and the Priestess will also be close, because I won't have the Priestess warming up to Amy the same way the Doctor does or Rhea did in _The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_.

DRWfangirl: I adore River as well and I can't wait to write her with the Priestess. My logic behind keeping the Doctor/Priestess relationship from Rose is that Rose made a lot of decisions in Season 1 and Season 2 based on her feelings for the Doctor, and a lot of Season 2 was centred around her growing feelings for the Doctor. Things like becoming Bad Wolf, the whole Sarah Jane debacle, being stuck on the Impossible Planet, her reactions and actions in _Fear Her_ and finally _Army of Ghosts _and_ Doomsday_. If I want a lot of the plot to go ahead, and I do want most of canon to stay true, I need Rose to still form those feelings for the Doctor and that won't happen if she finds out. I want her to find out in Season 4 because I think it would be an interesting emotional reaction for me to write from Rose's point of view.

Warnings: Nothing to be worried about in this chapter.

* * *

Boom Town: Nuke 'Em High

Mickey made his way across Millennium Centre Square to where the TARDIS was parked in front of a silver water sculpture. He knocked on the door, furiously. The door swung open, immediately, and Jack popped his head out, running his eyes over Mickey, suspiciously.

"Who the hell are you?" Jack asked with absolutely no hesitation.

"What d'you mean, who the hell am I? Who the hell are _you_?" Mickey growled out, rudely, itching with impatience.

"Captain Jack Harkness. Whatever you're selling, we're not buying." Jack said, matter-of-factly.

Mickey rolled his eyes. "Get out of my way!" He shoved Jack to the side and stormed into the TARDIS.

Jack shut the door behind him. "Don't tell me, this must be Mickey."

The Priestess poked her head up from the console, cocking her head, as she sized up the young man that had just entered the TARDIS. He looked slightly naïve and hopeful, his eyes searching, desperately, for Rose. She looked over at the Doctor, who was up in the gantries, standing on a ladder and doing some maintenance work on the TARDIS, while she worked on the console below. A red, flashing light was strapped to his forehead, making him look like a mine worker, making the Priestess smile up at him, fondly. Rose was standing next to the Priestess, watching her work.

"Here comes trouble! How're you doing, Ricky boy?" The Doctor asked, cheerily.

The Priestess frowned, confusedly. "I was told his name was Mickey." She turned to Rose. "You told me his name was Mickey."

"It is." Rose patted her on the arm, comfortingly. She turned to Mickey. "Don't listen to him, he's winding you up."

Mickey looked at the Priestess and his eyebrows furrowed. "Who's this?" He asked Rose.

"Oh, this is the Priestess. She's like the Doctor." Rose said and the Priestess raised a hand in greeting.

Mickey shook his head, dispelling his mind of the thoughts that he thought when he saw the Priestess and the Doctor look at each other, the look they sharing filling him with hope for his relationship with Rose. The Doctor may call him an "idiot", but even he could see that there was something there between the Doctor and his friend.

"Friend like…?" Mickey trailed off.

"She's an alien. The same kind as the Doctor. A Time Lady." Rose explained.

She and Mickey grinned, broadly, at each other, forgetting the conversation about the Priestess and the Doctor. They threw their arms around each other, squeezing tightly, the amount they had missed each other clearly showing in the desperation of their hug.

"Aww, sweet, look at these two. How come I never get any of that?" Jack asked, coyly, walking up to the console and joining the Priestess, helping out with the maintenance.

The Priestess laughed and smacked Jack on the arm, playfully. "I am afraid I am not that easy, my dear."

The Doctor nodded, presumably in acquiescence. "Buy us a drink first."

Jack smirked, playfully. "You two are such hard work."

The Doctor grinned to himself, smugly, sharing a look with the Priestess. They had spoken after the Priestess had asked Jack to remain quiet about their relationship to Rose. The Doctor still remained worried about why the Priestess was so insistent on keeping their relationship a secret, but he had felt he needed to trust her judgement. He knew that she would trust him with everything if he had given her the chance, he knew he could show the same amount of faith in her.

"But worth it." He smirked in a self-satisfied sort of way.

Rose turned back to Mickey, after smiling at the exchange. "Did you manage to find it?" She asked him.

Mickey handed her a small book. "There you go."

Rose grinned at the Doctor, brandishing her passport to him. "I can go anywhere now!" She said, smugly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I told you… you don't _need_ a passport!"

"It's all very well going to platform one and Justicia and the Glass Pyramid of San Kloon, but what if we end up in Brazil? I might need it. You see, I'm prepared for anything." Rose poked her tongue out, grinning.

"Sounds like your staying, then." Mickey said, suddenly, his face falling, disappointedly.

An awkward silence formed inside the TARDIS. The Doctor and the Priestess looked at the two humans, curiously. Mickey smiled, attempted to lighten the atmosphere and start the conversation again.

"So, what're you doing in Cardiff? And who the hell's Jumping Jack Flash? I mean, she seems sweet and I don't mind you hanging out with big-ears up there-" Mickey began.

"Oi!" The Doctor exclaimed, offended, making the Priestess cover her mouth to stop her from laughing.

Mickey rolled his eyes. "Look in the mirror." The Doctor shook his head and turned back to his work. "But this guy, I dunno, he's kinda..."

"Handsome?" The Priestess offered, making the Doctor glare at her and Jack wink.

"More like cheesy." Mickey scoffed.

Jack nodded to himself and started to walk. "Early 21st Century slang… is cheesy good or bad?" He asked to the Priestess, who shrugged in confusion.

"It's bad." Mickey explained, grimacing.

"But bad means good, isn't that right?"

The Doctor started to come down the ladder. "Are you saying I'm not handsome?" He asked, offended.

The Priestess rolled her eyes and decided to not comment.

Rose smiled over at Mickey. "We just stopped off. We need to refuel. Thing is, Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of the city. It's invisible, but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions-"

"The rift was healed back in 1869-" The Doctor continued.

"Thanks to a girl named Gwyneth, 'cos these creatures called the Gelth, they were using the rift as a gateway but she saved the world and closed it." Rose finished, crowing by the end of it.

The Priestess bit her lip in order to hide her laughter, somehow seeing that Mickey was finding this hard to follow. She took a step forward and joined the conversation.

"But closing this rift always leaves a scar as a remnant, and that scar generates energy. This energy is harmless to the Human race, of course-" The Priestess said.

"But perfect for the TARDIS, so just park it here for a couple of days right on top of the scar and-" The Doctor continued.

"Open up the engines, soak up the radiation-" Jack continued.

"Like filling her up with petrol and off we go!" Rose finished.

"Into time!" Jack high-fived the Priestess.

"And space!" All four of them said, simultaneously, matching beaming grins on their faces, while the Doctor and Rose high-fived.

Rose and the Priestess cheered.

Mickey just stared at the four with disbelief. "My God, have you seen yourselves? You all think you're so clever, don't you?"

"Yes." The Priestess nodded.

"Yeah!" The Doctor grinned.

"Yeah!" Rose said.

"Yep!" Jack smirked, giving Mickey a friendly slap on the cheek, which he didn't appreciate.

* * *

All four bundled out of the TARDIS.

"Should take another twenty-four hours, which means we've got time to kill." The Doctor said, knowingly.

"That old lady's staring." Mickey said, worriedly.

"Probably wondering what five people could do inside a small wooden box..." Jack patted the Doctor on the shoulder, suggestively, making the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose laugh.

Mickey looked at Jack, unimpressed. "What are you captain of? The Innuendo Squad?"

Jack scowled, making the 'whatever' sign and heading off.

"Wait!" Mickey called out, making everyone stop. "Er, the TARDIS, we can't just leave it. Doesn't it get noticed?" He asked.

Jack frowned, just thinking of something. He turned to look at the Doctor and the Priestess. "Yeah, what's with the police box? Why does it look like that?" He asked, curiously.

The Doctor leaned against the TARDIS. "It's a cloaking device."

"It is called a chameleon circuit. The TARDIS has the feature which allows it to disguise itself wherever it lands." The Priestess explained, stroking the TARDIS, affectionately, smiling when she felt her hum underneath her fingers.

"Like if this was Ancient Rome, it'd be a statue on a plinth or something. But we landed in the 1960s, it disguised itself as a police box, and the circuit got stuck." The Doctor shrugged.

"Wait, 'we'?" Rose asked, frowning at the Doctor.

"Yeah, the Priestess and I. Back in the good old days." The Doctor said, wistfully. The Priestess reached for his hand and squeezed it in comfort.

"So it copied a real thing? There actually was police boxes?" Mickey asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, on street corners. Phone for help before they had radios and mobiles. If they arrested someone, they could shove them inside until help came. Like a little prison cell."

Jack leaned towards the Doctor. "Why don't you just fix the circuit?"

"I like it! Don't you?" The Doctor beamed.

The Priestess patted the TARDIS doors. "I absolutely adore it."

Mickey started to grin, thinking that he had a point. "But that's what I meant! There's no police boxes anymore, so doesn't it get noticed?" He asked, smugly.

"Ricky, let me tell you something about the Human Race. You put a mysterious blue box slap bang in the middle of town and what do they do?" The Doctor put his hands on Mickey's shoulders. Mickey opened his mouth to reply, but the Doctor didn't give him a chance. "Walk past it. Now stop your nagging, let's go and explore!"

He walked off, linking his hand with the Priestess, leaving Jack, Mickey and Rose to follow, the latter slightly disgruntled.

"Do we have a plan?" The Priestess asked, curiously.

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know! Cardiff. Early 21st Century."

He winked down at her, knowing that she had always wanted to explore Earth in peace, without any crazy adventures or death-defying dangers, but never had the chance to when they were younger. He still felt a pang in his chest when he thought of that. It had been his duty to show her around the universe, and he had neglected that duty for so long. It was for that reason that every time he saw her eyes light up, whenever they came across a new place to explore, he felt all warm and tingly inside. The Priestess bounced up and down, excitedly, in his arms, one of them wrapped, securely, around her waist, her stripy purple dress swishing about her thighs.

"And the wind's coming from the... East. Trust me, safest place in the universe."

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Jack and Mickey were sharing a table at a restaurant, having a thoroughly good time as Jack told them all an exciting story.

"I swear, six feet tall and with _tusks__-_" Jack crowed.

The Doctor shook his head, laughing. "You're lying through your teeth!"

"I'd've gone bonkers! That's the word, bonkers!" Rose exclaimed.

"I mean, it turns out the white things are tusks and I mean _tusks_! And it's woken, and it's not happy-"

The Priestess laughed, madly, throwing her head back. "How could you not know it was there?" She asked, incredulously.

"And we're standing there, fifteen of us, _naked-_"

Rose's eyes widened. "Naked?!"

"And I'm like, oh, no, no, it's got nothing to do with me! And then it roars, and we are running. Oh my God, we are _running_! And Brakovitch falls, so I turn to him and I say-"

"I knew we should've turned left!" Mickey finished.

They all roared with laughter after hearing the punchline of Jack's story.

"That's my line!" Jack exclaimed.

"I don't _believe _you, I don't believe a word you say _ever, _that is so brilliant!" Rose practically shook with the force of her giggles.

The Doctor glanced over at the newspaper an old man was reading, and the smile instantly faded from his face. The Priestess watched him with interest, while he stood and walked over to the old man, unnoticed by others.

"Did you ever get your clothes back?" Rose asked, grinning.

Jack smirked. "No, I just picked him up went right for the ship, full throttle, didn't stop until I hit the space lanes, I was shaking! It was unbelievable, I'm freaking out and by the time I got there I was fifteen light-years away I was like this!"

While Jack continued to prattle on, the Doctor pulled the paper out of the old man's hands and looked at the front page, an angry look passing over his face, before settling on troubled eyes. He looked up at them, pursing his lips.

_What is it, beloved?_ The Priestess asked, slightly worried about the angry and disturbed look on the Doctor's face.

_This woman. She's part of the Slitheen family from Raxacoricofallapatorius. We ran into them awhile ago, they tried to blow up the Earth and sell it as molten slag. I thought she died in the Downing Street explosion. But, evidently, she didn't._ The Doctor said, grimly.

_Is she a danger?_ The Priestess asked, curiously.

_Very good chance she is._ The Doctor said.

_Very well. We will deal with her. _The Priestess said, reassuringly.

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "And I was having such a nice day."

And he held up the paper and showed them the headline, _New Mayor, New Cardiff_, complete with a photograph of a middle-aged blonde woman, as she objected to the photographer taking her picture.

* * *

The five of them strode purposefully up the steps to the Town Hall, headquarters of the mayor. They entered and went up the staircase into the entrance hall, confidence practically pouring from their bodies, looking as if they owned the place, so that they wouldn't be caught out by someone in the Town Hall. They stopped in front of a banister and looked around at their surroundings.

"According to intelligence, the target is the last surviving member of the Slitheen family, a criminal sect from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorious, masquerading as a human being, zipped inside a skin suit. Okay, plan of attack, we assume a basic fifty seven/fifty six strategy, covering all available exits on the ground floor. Doctor, you and Priestess go face-to-face, that'll designate Exit One, I'll cover Exit Two, Rose, you're Exit Three, Mickey Smith, you take Exit Four. Have you got that?" Jack asked, sharply, straightening into position.

While Jack was rattling off his orders, the Doctor stared at him, eyeing him with mild surprise at his impertinence and arrogance, while the Priestess stared at the two men with amusement. Rose's face was contorted with confusion, finding it an effort to understand what on Earth Jack was going on about, and Mickey just looked plain confused.

The Doctor glared at Jack and resisted the urge to growl, slightly subdued by the Priestess' arm on his bicep. "Excuse me. Who's in charge?" The Doctor asked, sternly.

Jack's face fell and he tensed, looking every inch of a well-adjusted soldier. He nodded. "Sorry. Awaiting orders, sir."

"Right. Here's the plan." The Doctor growled, lowly, his voice deepening with authority. He paused and a smile grew on his face until he was beaming. "Like he said. Nice plan. Anything else?" He grinned at the Priestess, who simply shook her head, not being able to say anything.

"Present arms." Jack ordered.

They all, with the exception of the Priestess, pulled out a police phone.

"Ready." The Doctor, Rose and Mickey intoned.

"Speed dial?" Jack called out and the four pressed a button that sounded with a beep.

"Yup." The Doctor said.

"Ready." Rose replied.

"Check." Mickey said.

Jack gave a lazy grin. "See ya in hell."

Jack walked off to the right. The Doctor with the Priestess and Rose headed off towards separate exists straight ahead of the staircase, and Mickey hesitated with confusion for a few moments, before ambling off to the left.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess strode over, confidently, towards the secretary, who sat behind a desk outside the Lord Mayer's inner office.

"Hello! We've come to see the Lord Mayor." The Doctor said, cheerfully.

"Have you got an appointment?" The secretary asked, carefully.

"Nope," The Doctor shook his head, a beaming grin on his face. "Just an old friend passing by, bit of a surprise. Can't wait to see her face!"

"Well, she's just having a cup of tea." The secretary stammered, staring at the Doctor and the Priestess with hesitation and confusion.

The Doctor smiled and leaned in, pressing his hands onto the table. "Just go in there, and tell her the Doctor would like to see her." He said, calmly.

The secretary frowned. "Doctor who?"

"Simply the Doctor. Tell her exactly that. The Doctor." The Priestess said, a small smile playing on her face, as she realised what the Doctor's game was.

The secretary's shoulders slumped and he stood up, resignedly. "Hold on a tick..." He sighed.

He entered the office, while the Doctor and the Priestess stood in their spots, the former with his hands behind his back and waiting serenely. Nothing in their faces changed, barely raising an eyebrow, when they heard the tell-tale sound of a teacup smashing against the floor. The secretary reappeared in the doorway to the Mayor's office, slightly flustered, and opened the door as little as was possibly needed for him to squeeze through. He shut the door behind him.

"The Lord Mayor says thank you for-for popping by... she'd love to have a chat, but, um... she's up to her eyes in paperwork. Perhaps if you could make an appointment for next week...?" The secretary trailed off, his eyes shifting from side to side, betraying his lies.

The Doctor smirked. "She's climbing out of the window, isn't she?" He asked, knowingly.

The secretary sighed. "Yes, she is."

The Doctor nodded, smugly, and grabbed the Priestess' hand, pushing past the secretary into the office. The two ran across the room towards the open window and hurried out onto the balcony. The emerged onto the balcony just in time to see Margaret hop over the scaffolding.

"Slitheen heading North." The Doctor spoke into the phone.

"On my way." Rose's voice came over the line.

"Over and out." Jack called out.

"Oh my God." Mickey stuttered, stunned.

The secretary rushed out onto the balcony and started to grapple with the Doctor, while the Priestess kicked him hard in the leg, forcing the secretary to let the Doctor go. The two of them jumped off the balcony, onto the scaffolding, but were still quite a way behind Margaret.

* * *

Rose ran down a corridor and pushed past two secretaries in her hurry, sending paperwork flying everywhere, however, did not care the least.

* * *

A tea lady shrieked as Jack ran and vaulted over her tea trolley.

* * *

Mickey clicked off his mobile, his eyes wide, and finally started to run. However, he wasn't looking where he was going and ended up running straight into a cleaning trolley, toppling to his knees onto the carpet and sending the entire trolley flying.

* * *

Margaret hopped off the scaffolding at the bottom and took of her brooch. She turned, ready to make her escape, but tensed, when she saw Rose running towards her, blocking that avenue of escape. She hissed, angrily, and pulled off one of her earrings. She turned her head the other way and growled, when she saw Jack running in her direction. She cursed and looked up, her eyes widening with shock, when she saw the Doctor and the woman who he was with, climbing down the scaffolding. She hesitated and ran back the way she came.

"Margaret!" The Doctor called out, mockingly.

But there was a fourth exit and she belted down it as fast as her thick, stubby legs could carry her, pulling off her second earring. The Priestess, Jack, Rose and the Doctor converged at one end.

"Who was on Exit Four?!" The Priestess and Jack snapped, simultaneously, both irritated.

"That was Mickey!" Rose applied with just the slightest bit of disappointment and embarrassment.

Mickey finally managed to catch up to the other four, panting and resting his hands on his knees. "Here I am!"

The Doctor growled. "Mickey the idiot."

Rose stretched her neck, staring after Margaret. "Oh, be fair, she's not exactly gonna outrun us, is she?" She asked.

But Margaret, smiling to herself, clipped her brooch and two earrings together and vanished in a blue light with a small ting.

Jack's eyes widened, comically, and he threw his hands up in the air. "She's got a teleport! That's cheating! Now we're _never _gonna get her!" He exclaimed.

The Priestess smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Never fear, darling, the Doctor has a secret weapon in regard to teleports."

The Doctor, who had produced his sonic screwdriver from his jacket pocket, held it in the air, a dopey grin plastered across his face, much to the Priestess' amusement and fond exasperation, and clicked it once. Margaret reappeared in the same flash of blue light and appeared much closer to them than what she had been when she had first teleported. She was running at them, still with the self-satisfied smile on her face. It faded as soon as she realised where she was, and she ground to a halt, hurriedly changing direction while pressing her device together again. She vanished again and the Doctor clicked the sonic screwdriver again. She reappeared, even closer and still running towards them. She turned around, vanished again and again, the Doctor continuing to click his sonic screwdriver every time Margaret teleported. The most recent time, Margaret appeared right in front of them, absolutely exhausted from the ordeal and gasping for breath, her shoulders slumping as she gave up trying to escape.

"I could do this all day." The Doctor said, cheerily.

The Priestess gave Margaret a look of disdain. "A warning, he actually could."

Margaret put her hands up in the air. "This is persecution. Why can't you leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?"

The Doctor scowled and glared at her, fiercely. "You tried to kill me and destroy this entire planet." He snapped.

Margaret waved that off. "Apart from that." She said, dismissively.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Jack, Mickey and Margaret entered an exhibition room in Town Hall.

"So, you're a Slitheen, you're on Earth, you're trapped. Your family get killed but you teleport out, just in the nick of time. You have no means of escape. What do you do? You build a nuclear power station." The Doctor gestured at the model in the middle of the room, while Rose and Jack examined it with interest. "But what for?" He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at her.

Margaret shrugged. "A philanthropic gesture. I've learnt the error of my ways."

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "And are we meant to take it as a mere coincidence that your nuclear power station is built exactly on top of the rift?"

Margaret looked at her, innocently. "What rift would that be?"

Jack smirked. "A rift in space and time. If this power station went into meltdown, the entire planet would go schwwwupboom!" He threw his hands out to illustrate the explosion.

The Doctor and the Priestess looked down at the model with interest. They shared a worried look. "This station is designed to explode the minute it reaches capacity." They said, simultaneously.

Rose frowned. "Didn't anyone notice? Isn't there someone in London _checking _this sort of stuff?" She asked, incredulously.

Margaret gave her a withering look. "We're in _Cardiff. _London doesn't care! The South Wales coast could fall into the sea and they wouldn't notice… oh... I sound like a Welshman. God help me, I've gone native." She scowled at herself.

Mickey's eyebrows furrowed. "But why would she _do _that? A great big explosion, she'd only end up killing herself."

Margaret glared at him. "She's got a name, you know."

Mickey scowled, giving Margaret a look of disdain. "She's not even a she, she's a... thing."

The Doctor eyed Margaret. "Oh, but she's clever..."

In one swift movement, he wrenched the middle section of the model and flipped it over, revealing a giant circuit board underneath.

"Fantastic." The Doctor murmured, staring at it, stunned.

"That is a tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator." The Priestess leaned in.

"Couldn't have put it better myself." The Doctor said, proudly.

Jack took it off him for a better look. "Ooh, _genius_!"

The Doctor's attention seemed to be caught by something on the far wall, the poster for the project, bearing the words "_Blaidd Drwg_".

Jack narrowed his eyes at Margaret. "You didn't build this."

Margaret shrugged in an attempt to be modest. "I have my hobbies. A little tinkering..."

Jack rolled his eyes, seeing through the ruse. "No, no, no, I mean, you _really_ didn't build this. Way beyond you."

Mickey scowled, glaring at Margaret. "I bet she stole it."

"It fell into my hands."

Rose looked at Jack, curiously. "Is it a weapon?"

Jack placed the extrapolator down on the floor. "It's transport. You see, the reactor blows, the rift opens, phenomenal cosmic disaster, but _this _thing shrouds you in a force field, you have this energy bubble, zzhum, so you're safe. Then you feed it coordinates, stand on top, and ride the concussion all the way out of the solar system."

The Priestess smiled over at him. "I absolutely adore your sound effects, darling." She murmured, making Jack grin over at her.

"It's a surfboard!" Mickey's eyes widened, staring at the circuit with unabashed scepticism.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. "A pan-dimensional surfboard, yes." She corrected, lightly.

"And it would've worked. I would've surfed away from this dead-end dump and back to civilisation." Margaret spat out, bitterly.

"You'd blow up a whole planet just to get a lift?" Mickey asked, incredulously.

Margaret smirked, viciously, at him. "Like stepping on an anthill." She hissed.

The Priestess turned to the Doctor, walking up so that she was standing a feet or two behind and watching him, carefully.

_It means 'Bad Wolf'_. The Priestess said to him, suddenly. _But I am sure you already knew that. _She bit her lower lip, hesitating. _Van Statten's air craft was named Bad Wolf One._

The Doctor frowned. _How'd you know that?_

_I was conscious for most of the torture. I believe I only lost consciousness a few times._ The Priestess said, lightly, as if she were talking about the weather and not about an ordeal that had driven her to the edge of regeneration and that still haunted her in the form of nightmares every now and then.

The Doctor scowled, his fists clenching at his sides, feeling the anger rush through him and make the blood roar in his ears. He trembled in his rage, barely managing to keep still, lest he alert the others in the room, other than the Priestess, that he was furious. _Don't talk to me about that._ He snapped, although not really angry at the Priestess._ I should never have left him alive._

The Priestess smiled at him and sent him all the waves of love and respect and faith she had in him through the connection they shared. _Yes, you should have. You are not the cruel and unforgiving man that people believe you to be, my love. You truly do have a heart of gold._

_That's your opinion_. The Doctor grumbled, relaxing when he felt his mind flood with the Priestess' presence, shades of red and blue burning into his brain and flowing through his veins.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow. _My opinion is the only one that should matter to you._ She crooned.

_It is_. The Doctor said, reassuringly, resisting the urge to take her hand in his for comfort in front of everyone.

The Priestess sighed, knowing that she would have to come clean about everything that she had observed since the Doctor had found her. _When we were on Satellite Five, one of the channels was named 'Bad Wolf TV'. 'Bad Wolf' was written across one of the posters we were leaning across in 1987, during that terrible Reaper mess. The bomb that Jack halted in 1941 had 'Schlecter Wolf' written across the side. And now this. Bad Wolf seems to be following us everywhere. Like an omen, rather than simply a sign._ Unbeknownst to the Doctor, she gifted Rose with a heated and suspicious look.

The Doctor almost shook his head. _How do you know all of this?_ He asked, incredulously. After nine hundred years of knowing her, she still surprised him on a constant basis.

The Priestess smirked. _Unlike you, I actually pay attention to my surroundings, beloved._

_There were a few instances of this before I found you again. On Platform One, one of the guests was from the 'Bad Wolf Corporation' and some kid painted the words 'Bad Wolf' onto the TARDIS when we encountered the Slitheen before._ The Doctor ignored the hiss of disapproval and anger that came from the Priestess, when she heard of someone trying to vandalise the TARDIS. He tensed. _We should probably tell everyone about this, shouldn't we? We shouldn't keep it a secret from them._ He turned to Margaret. "How'd you think of the name?"

Margaret frowned. "What, Blaidd Drwg? It's Welsh."

"Yes, we know." The Priestess said, impatiently. "But how did it occur to you to call it _this_, specifically?"

Margaret shrugged. "Chose it at random, that's all I dunno. Just sounded good. Does it matter?"

The Doctor turned around to look at the rest of the people in the room, his brows furrowed. "Blaidd Drwg."

Rose took a hesitant step forward. "What's it mean?"

The Priestess swallowed hard, frowning hard at Rose. "Bad Wolf." She said, simply, and searched Rose's eyes for any hint of recognition whatsoever, anything to suggest that Rose knew about these words or she was behind this.

Rose paled and took a step back, a haunted and worried look spreading across her face. "But I've heard that before, Bad Wolf. I've heard that lots of times..." She stammered.

The Doctor's eyes burned. "Everywhere we go. Two words. Following us. Bad Wolf."

"How can they be following us?" Rose whispered.

The Doctor turned and stared at the Priestess for a few seconds, who stubbornly refused to look him in the eye. _Does it have something to do with her? None of this started to happen until she started travelling with me._ The Priestess did not answer and looked away from him. He blinked and realised that he had been staring into space for a few seconds.

"Nah!" The Doctor waved off. "Just a coincidence! Like hearing a word on the radio then hearing it all day. Never mind! Things to do." He clapped his hands, briskly. "Margaret, we're gonna take you home."

Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "Hold on, isn't that the easy option, like letting her go?"

"Actually, on Raxacoricofallapatorius, they have the death penalty." The Priestess said, lightly, giving Margaret a measuring and warning look.

There was an awkward silence and everyone looked everywhere else but Margaret, except for the Priestess, who made sure to keep her eyes on the Slitheen.

"The family Slitheen was tried in its absence many years ago and found guilty. With no chance of appeal." The Priestess explained.

Rose stared at her, stunned. "How d'you know all of this? You weren't even with us the last time."

The Priestess smiled at her. "I made sure to learn about them from the TARDIS' databases."

"According to the statutes of government, the moment I return, I am to be executed. What do you make of that, Doctor, Priestess?" Margaret held the cold stares that the Doctor and the Priestess were giving her. "Take me home and you take me to my death."

The Doctor glared at her. "Not our problem." He growled.

* * *

Darkness had finally fallen and the five had managed to force Margaret back to the TARDIS. The woman paled in shock when she first entered through the double doors, her head twisting from side to side, as she took the interior of the ship in.

"This ship is _impossible_!It's _superb_." Margaret exclaimed, excitedly._ "_How do you get the outside around the inside?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Like we'd give _you _the secret, yeah." He said, rolling his eyes.

"I almost feel better about being defeated. We never stood a chance. This is the technology of the Gods."

The Doctor smirked. "Don't worship us. We'd make very bad Gods. You wouldn't get a day off, for starters..."

"Jack, are there any problems?" The Priestess called out to Jack, who was on the floor next to the console, wiring the extrapolator up to the TARDIS after she had given him the instructions and the general warning to someone who was attempting to configure the TARDIS with their permission. _If something happens to her, I will end you._

"This extrapolator's top of the range." Jack peered around the edge of the console to stare at Margaret with ill-concealed shock and interest. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, I don't know... some airlock sale...?" Margaret shrugged, disinterestedly.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Must've been a great big heist. It's stacked with power."

"But we can use it for fuel?" The Doctor asked.

Jack shook his head, mournfully. "It's not compatible... but it should knock off about twelve hours. We'll be ready to go by morning."

The Doctor scowled and resisted the urge to kick the grill with his feet. "Then we're stuck here. Overnight."

"_I'm_ in no hurry." Margaret offered.

"We've got a prisoner! The police box is really... a police box." Rose giggled.

Margaret smiled at them, unpleasantly, knowing exactly what to say to pull at their consciences. "You're not just police, though. Since you're taking me to my death, that makes youmy executioners. Each and every one of you..."

"Well, you deserve it." Mickey said, coldly.

"You're very quick to say so. You're very quick to soak your hands in my blood. Which makes you better than me, how, exactly...?" Margaret trailed off, knowing that she had won most of the battle, when Mickey could not come up with an answer to this. "Long night ahead..."

The Doctor eyed her, carefully, as she took her time to walk around the console to sit, elegantly, in one of the seats.

"Let's see who can look me in the eye." Margaret hissed.

She fixed Mickey with a calm, collected gaze. He managed to hold it for a few seconds, before his cowardice won out and he averted his eyes, uncomfortably. Next, she looked at Rose, who glanced, guiltily and worriedly, at the Doctor. He glanced up only for a second as he was still working with the Priestess and Jack, but still very much aware of the atmosphere. She turned her eyes to the Priestess, who sighed and folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at the plump woman.

"I am unsure of what you expect from me." The Priestess purred, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Do you mean for me to look at you and pity you, or shift my eyes away, uncomfortably, considering the harshness of our proposed actions? You will not receive that type of reaction from me, I can assure you." She snapped. She gritted her teeth, her body going warm with simmering anger. "You have caused many deaths at this point, Margaret. Or may I call you Blon Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen?" She crooned, her lips curving into a smirk.

Margaret paled and she reeled back in shock, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room. "How do you know that name?" She stuttered.

"I know many things." The Priestess growled. "If this nuclear power station were to explode over the Rift, the entire planet would most likely be destroyed in the blast. Majority of the human population would _die_ in the explosion. Sending you to your execution is not the most morally ambiguous act I have ever done, nor will I pretend that it will be in the future. I have been the cause for many deaths. Deaths of my own people and I cannot regret my actions. I will not regret handing you to your executioners as you have terrorised this planet enough. Your planet is _not_ our jurisdiction. They have a right to sentence you as _they_ see fit."

The Doctor, Rose, Mickey and Jack stared at the Priestess with shock, terror and surprise, although most of those emotions were coming from the humans, rather than the Time Lord, who was staring at his Bondmate with alarm at the vitriol spilling from her lips.

* * *

A/N: The first chapter of _Boom Town _is finished! I hoped you liked the interaction between the Doctor and the Priestess in this chapter. The Doctor seems to be really pissed off at Van Statten still. Of course, why wouldn't he be? And the Priestess has always wanted to travel with the Doctor throughout the universe. I wonder why the Doctor never took her with him? Or did he? And the whole 'Bad Wolf' thing, _Boom Town_ makes it clear that the Doctor and Rose have been paying attention to the 'Bad Wolf' references throughout their adventures. I just wanted the Priestess to enlighten the Doctor to a few of them and see what would happen. The Priestess knows that 'Bad Wolf' has something to do with Rose but she's not sure what and she's not sure if she wants to know. That's why she's very suspicious of Rose. She think that Rose may know what 'Bad Wolf' is and is worried that 'Bad Wolf' may harm the Doctor or herself or Rose.

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter and don't forget to review!


	14. Boom Town: Doomsday Machine

Dream Weaver – Chapter 14

A/N: Here's the final chapter of _Boom Town. _Hope you all like it!

Replies to Reviews:

beulah2013: The Priestess isn't like the Doctor. Because of her visions, she's more intense and colder about things like this, because she knows that there has to be a balance and the Time Lords are meant to keep the balance. But I'm glad you're liking the Priestess so far. Yeah, I feel like it's pointless introducing an OC into a fandom where they don't do anything other than what the original character/s do. Then it just seems like they're in the story because people didn't like the original character. But thank you so much for the review.

NicoleR85: Thank you so much! I refuse to spill what will happen in the finale for Season 1, but it's coming up, so don't worry :)

The Dreamer: Yes, but not for a while.

Mae Ride: Yep, she can be quite cold sometimes!

TimeladyAlly: I don't think the Priestess would become afraid of the Doctor, but I think it could turn out the other way, when the Priestess gets a bit too cold when it comes to maintaining the balance in time. I'm kind of determined to keep a platonic relationship between the Priestess and Jack, only because I want them to have a certain relationship in Season 3 when they meet the Master. And I don't really think that Tess would cheat on the Doctor like that. The Doctor was surprised because sometimes he feels conflicted. He made a promise to himself a long time ago that he wouldn't ask her about what she sees in her visions but he gets scared that one day that whatever she sees in those visions will overwhelm her and the Anika he fell in love with will cease to exist. He just doesn't want to lose her.

XBloodMageRikaX: Thank you so much and I'm glad you like the Priestess! I wanted Rose somewhat likeable in Season 1, because I found her likeable in Season 1. It was only in Season 2 that my distaste for her started to grow. I'm so glad you like the story so much and it makes me so proud that my story is one of those people like to read in one go.

Dream I Dare: Thank you so much for pointing out my typo! Um, I'm a little confused by your question. What do you mean with 8? Because, unless I specify something in the story, anything previous to New Who doesn't exist in my story, but I have mentioned a lot to do with Classic Who already (at least, I think so) like Rassilon and the Time Lords, some of the older companions, _School Reunion _will definitely feature a lot of the canon backstory for the Doctor and Susan as well. But what do you mean by his regeneration?

Warnings: Flirting, general fluff.

* * *

Boom Town: Doomsday Machine

Mickey was standing alone in Millennium Centre Square, outside the TARDIS, in front of a fountain. Rose stepped out of the TARDIS and joined him, practically bouncing on her feet and clutching the jacket and scarf close to her body, in order to stave off the cold.

"S'freezing out here!" Rose stammered through the cold.

Mickey nodded towards the TARDIS. "Better than in there." There was a pause as Mickey gathered his thoughts together. "She doesdeserve it. She's a Slitheen. I don't care. It's... it's just... weird, in that box."

Rose bit her lip, grinning, tentatively. "I didn't really need my passport..." She trailed off, hoping that Mickey would understand what she meant.

Mickey smiled, proudly, pleased by her meaning. She nudged him, playfully, and he nudged her back with a grin, the two falling back into their old routine of teasing.

"I've been thinking, you know... we could... go and have a drink." Mickey stuttered, hesitantly. "Have a pizza or something. Just you and me." He said, awkwardly.

Rose nodded, a smile on her face. "That'd be nice."

"And, I mean, if the TARDIS can't leave until morning, we could..." Rose nodded as he spoke, listening to him, intently. Mickey looked slightly bashful as the rest of his sentence came to his lips. "... go to a hotel? Spend the night? I mean, if you want to! I-I've got some money." He said, hesitantly, growing with hope.

Rose smiled. "Okay. Yeah." She said, lightly.

Mickey's eyes widened, as if he weren't actually expecting her to acquiesce. "Is that all right?" He asked, tentatively.

"Yeah!" Rose through her head back and laugh, small puffs of cold air spilling from her lips as she did so.

Mickey nodded to himself, very pleased by the outcome of the conversation. "Cool. There's a couple of bars around here, we should give 'em a go." He nodded at the TARDIS. "And do you have to go and tell him?"

"It's none of his business." Rose raised an eyebrow.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess watched Rose and Mickey walking away, hand in hand.

"Sometimes, I have to admit I do not admire the way that Rose interacts with men. If she is involved with Mickey in a romantic relationship, why does she flirt with other men?" The Priestess asked the Doctor, confusedly, in a hushed murmur.

The Doctor shrugged. "She's young, I guess."

"So, what's on?" Jack leaned over.

The Doctor's head jerked around and he, hurriedly, turned the screen off, so that it wouldn't look as if they were stalking Rose.

"Nothing, just..." The Doctor trailed off, not wanting to say anything that would implicate them.

Margaret was sitting with her back to the console, on the metal grilling. "I gather it's not always like this... having to wait." She paused, as if considering this. "I bet you're always the first to leave, Doctor. Never mind the consequences, off you go. You butchered my family and then ran for the stars, am I right? But not this time. At last, you have consequences... how does it feel?"

The Doctor scowled. "I didn't butcher them."

The Priestess looked at the Doctor, carefully. "Do not answer her. It is exactly what she wants."

The Doctor looked at her, beseechingly. His icy blue-grey eyes burned into her brown ones and her connection warmed and heated with every image he pushed at her. He showed what had happened in Downing Street and how he the nuclear strike had been the only way to stop the Slitheen.

"I didn't." He murmured, needing her to understand he didn't. He looked at Margaret. "What about you? You had an emergency teleport, you didn't zap them to safety, did you?"

Margaret shrugged. "It only carries one. I had to fly without coordinates. I ended up on a skip in the Isle of Dogs."

The Doctor and Jack sniggered, while the Priestess bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"It wasn't funny!" Margaret said, sharply, glaring at the three.

"Sorry." The Doctor said, sheepishly, although he didn't sound sorry in the least.

When Margaret turned her head around, her back facing them, the Doctor and Jack were still, grinning, furiously.

"It is a _bit _funny!" The Doctor said, reluctantly.

And that was all the Doctor, the Priestess and Jack needed to start laughing, Margaret joining in at the end.

"Do I get a last request?" Margaret asked, lightly, her body relaxing slightly.

The Doctor looked at her, grimly, his form tensing all the more. "Depends what it is?"

"I grew quite fond of my little human life. All those rituals... the brushing of the teeth, and the complicated way they cook things... there's a little restaurant. Just round the bay." The Doctor glanced around her. "It became quite a favourite of mine."

The Doctor walked towards her and leaned over the railings to talk to her properly. "You're _actually _propositioning me while my Bondmate's in the room. That's a bad idea. She's the possessive sort. She might just rip your arms off and toss you out of the TARDIS." He said, lightly, winking over at the Priestess.

"Don't I have rights?" Margaret straightened and asked, defiantly.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh, like she's not gonna try to escape."

"Except I can never escape the Doctor, so where's the danger?" Margaret said, bitterly. She considered the Doctor, carefully. "But I wonder if you could do it? To sit with a creature you're about to kill and take supper. How strong is your stomach?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Strong enough."

A smile began to spread across Margaret's thin lips. "I wonder. I've seen you fight your enemies... now dine with them."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "You won't change my mind."

"Prove it." Margaret challenged.

The Doctor looked sorely tempted, chancing a look at the Priestess' blank face to see if she disapproved of his decision to acquiesce to Margaret's request, wanting to see what would become of this. He hesitated and started to walk away.

"There are people out there. If you slip away just for one second, they'll be in danger." The Doctor said.

"Except…" Jack began and everyone turned to look at him. "I've got these." He held up a pair of metal cuffs that resembled thick bangles. "You both wear one. If she moves... more than ten feet away..." He made a loud buzzing noise, as if he were being electrocuted, making Margaret jump back in alarm. "She gets zapped by ten thousand volts."

The Doctor nodded and turned to look at the Priestess. "You okay with this?" He asked, hesitantly. He wouldn't go if she didn't want him to.

The Priestess gave him a soft, fond smile that warmed him from the inside. "I have no reason to object." She turned to Margaret and her smile changed from loving to vicious in a matter of a nanosecond, making Margaret pale in shock and terror, as she didn't know what to make of this strange woman, who had absolutely no fear whatsoever. "There are no games she would be able to play that would affect you." She said, slowly, her dark eyes boring into Margaret's, chilling the skin of her meatsuit.

The Doctor exhaled. "Margaret, would you like to come out to dinner? My treat?"

Margaret's face transformed into a sickly smile. "Dinner in bondage... works for me."

* * *

The Doctor and Margaret entered the restaurant, chatting away, having to hold hands due to the handcuffs, a fact that repulsed the Doctor to no end, so used to having the Priestess' slender, soft fingers entwined in his, instead of Margaret's thick, stubby ones.

* * *

Jack was lying on his back halfway underneath the console, happily wiring the extrapolator up to the TARDIS, while the Priestess gave him instructions, one ear given to the TARDIS words in her mind.

"So, wanna explain to me what a Bondmate is?" Jack asked, carefully, sneaking a peak at the Priestess from underneath the console.

"I suppose it is the equivalent of a spouse on Earth, but it has extra conditions attached to it, when you commit to the ceremony." The Priestess said, thoughtfully. "When two people on Gallifrey complete the ceremony, their minds are forged as one. They share a mental bond that transcends the bond that we have with our people." She paused, her eyes glazing over. "The Doctor and I were the first Time Lord and Time Lady to Bond in centuries. It was an outdated, sentimental practice, as far as the Time Lords were concerned. Romantic or sexual relationships on Gallifrey were based on social advantage and intelligence, in general. Marriages were dependent on House Alliances. To become a Time Lord's or a Time Lady's Bondmate was a way of expressing all-encompassing love and trust in the Time Lord or Time Lady."

Jack's eyes were wide and he was silent. "Wow… that sounds beautiful." He mused, having never experienced a connection so deep. "So… you're really not jealous that the Doctor's having dinner with a Slitheen?"

"No," The Priestess' brow furrowed. "Should I be?"

Jack shook his head. "It's just… in my experience, girls get really angry when their guy goes out on a date with another girl."

The Priestess cracked a smile, it spreading across her lips, beatifically. "Margaret and I are hardly 'girls'." She chuckled. "And, besides, I have never known any woman, aside from myself, who has the ability to turn his head."

* * *

The Doctor and Margaret took their seats at one of the tables.

* * *

The lights on the extrapolator flashed and Jack and the Priestess watched it with equally bright grins on their faces.

* * *

The Doctor and Margaret were reading their menus.

"Here we are, out on a date, and you haven't even asked my proper name." Margaret said, teasingly.

The Doctor glared at her. "It's not a date!" He said, furiously. "What's your name?"

"Blon. I am Blon Fel Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen. That's what it'll say on my death certificate." Margaret sighed.

The Doctor smiled, albeit, tightly. "Nice to meet you, Blon."

"I'm sure." Margaret said, sarcastically.

The Doctor went back to reading his menu, but Margaret placed hers back on the table. She looked out of the window, squinting out into the darkness.

"Look... that's where I was living as Margaret." The Doctor turned around in his seat to follow her gaze out the window. "Nice little flat. Over there. On the top. Next to the one with the light on." While the Doctor's back was turned, she opened her ring up and emptied a powder into his wine glass. "Two bedrooms... bayside view..." He turned to face her and she schooled her face into a wistful look. "I was rather content. Don't suppose I'll see it again." She sighed.

The Doctor swapped their glasses around. "Suppose not." He smirked and returned his attention back to the menu.

"Thank you." She said, sarcastically.

"Pleasure." The Doctor replied in the exact same tone she had used.

"Tell me, then, Doctor," Margaret leaned on her hand, which was propped on the table. "What do you know of our species?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Only what I've seen and what the Priestess told me."

Margaret nodded to herself. "Did you know, for example... in extreme cases... when her life is in danger... a female Raxacoricofallapatorian can manufacture a poison dart within her own finger-"

She suddenly pointed her finger at him and a dart flew out of its tip, which would have pierced the Doctor had he not been ready. He caught it in his fist without ever needing to look up from his menu.

The Doctor grinned at her. "Yes, I did."

"Just checking." Margaret said, pleasantly, not betraying her annoyance. The Doctor grinned at her. She lowered her voice to a whisper, as if she were telling him a great secret. "And one more thing... between you and me..." She cast a furtive look around the restaurant, and they both leaned in. "As a final resort, the excess poison can be exhaled through the lungs." She whispered.

She opened her mouth wide and hissed out a green gas. Without even flinching, the Doctor pulled out breath freshener and squirted it into her mouth, making her gag.

"That's better." The Doctor said, lightly, and leaned back in his seat, while Margaret stuck her tongue out at the taste of the breath freshener. "Now then, what d'you think? Mmm, steak looks nice. Steak and chips!"

Margaret, peeved, opened her menu, reluctantly.

* * *

Rose and Mickey were going down a set of stairs near Cardiff Bay. Rose was chatting, enthusiastically, away to him, but although he was attempting to appear interested, he didn't seem as though he was.

"The Doctor and the Priestess took me to this planet a while back, it was much colder than this, they called it 'Woman Wept'. The planet was actually called 'Woman Wept'. 'Cos, if you looked at it, right, from above, there's like this huge continent, like all curved round... sort of looked like a woman, you know... lamenting." Rose's smile was blinding and her eyes were bright as she retold the tale. "Oh my God, and we went to this beach, right, no people, no buildings, just this beach like, a thousand miles across! And something had happened, something to do with the sun, I don't know, but the sea had just frozen! Like, in a split second in the middle of a storm, right, waves and foam, just frozen! All the way out to the horizon. Midnight, right, we walk underneath these waves a hundred feet tall, made of ice."

Mickey stared at her for a second, long since given up trying to look interested in what she was saying. "I'm going out with Trisha Delaney."

Rose stared at him, completely wrong-footed by the sudden sentence. "Right... that's nice... Trisha from the shop?"

"Yeah," Mickey nodded. "Rob Delany's sister."

Rose pursed her lips. "Well, she's nice... she's a bit _big_..." She offered.

"She lost weight." Mickey replied, quickly. He looked at her. "You've been away."

Rose nodded, as if trying to soothe herself rather than reassure Mickey. "Well, good for you. She's nice."

Mickey relaxed and tried to fall into the similar routine with Rose. "So, tell us more about this planet, then."

Rose looked uncomfortable by the turn of the conversation. "That was it… really."

And they walked away in silence, feeling worlds apart even though their hips were touching.

* * *

Margaret was openly trying to get through to the Doctor, now. "Public execution is a slow death. They prepare a thin acetic acid... lower me into the cauldron... and boil me. The acidity is perfectly gauged to strip away the skin. Internal organs fall out into the liquid. And I become soup. And still alive. Still screaming." She whispered, attempting to gain his sympathy.

The Doctor shrugged, nonplussed. "I don't make the law."

Margaret raised an eyebrow. "But you deliver it." There was no reply from him. "Will you stay to watch?" She asked, curiously.

The Doctor looked at her, resignedly, not exactly pleased by what had to happen, but feeling as though his hands were tied. "What else can I do?"

Margaret leaned in, a glint forming in her eyes. "The Slitheen family's huge. There's a lot more of us, all scattered off-world. Take me to them. Take me somewhere safe."

The Doctor glared at her. "But then you'll just start again." He said, accusingly.

"I promise I won't." Margaret whispered, beseechingly.

The Doctor shook his head, not buying her for a moment. "You've been in that skin-suit too long. You've forgotten. There used to be a _real_ Margaret Blaine. You killed her and stripped her and used the skin. You're pleading for mercy out of a dead woman's lips."

"Perhaps I have got used to it. A human life. An ordinary life. That's all I'm asking." The Doctor fixed her under his gaze. "Give me a chance, Doctor... I can change."

The Doctor looked at her, intently. "I don't believe you."

She sighed, defeated.

* * *

Rose was standing by the railings, looking out onto the water, while Mickey sat on a bench, his back facing her.

"So, what d'you wanna do now?" He asked, slowly.

Rose shrugged. "Don't mind."

"We could ask about hotels…" Mickey offered.

"What would Trisha Delaney say?" Rose asked, sarcastically.

"S'pose." He paused and pointed off somewhere in the distance. "There's a bar down there with a Spanish name or something-"

Rose rounded on him, her face etched with anger and betrayal. "You don't even _like_ Trisha Delaney!"

Mickey raised an eyebrow, defensively. "Oh, is that right? What the hell do you know?" He snapped, irritated by her arrogance.

Rose glared at him. "I know _you_. And I know her… and I know that's _never_ gonna happen. So, who do you think you're kidding?!"

"At least I know where she is!" He shouted.

Rose nodded, her face dawning with realisation. "There we are, then. It's got nothing to do with Trisha. This is all about me, isn't it-"

Mickey stood up, his entire body screaming his anger. "You _left_ me!" He trembled with his fury and she remained silent, quietened by the extent of his anger. "We were nice. We were happy. And then what, you give me a kiss and you run off with him and you make me feel like nothing, Rose. I was nothing." Rose stared at him, not being able to say anything anything. Mickey's eyes began to fill with tears. "I can't even go out with a stupid girl from a shop because you pick up the phone and I comes running. I mean, is that what I am, Rose? Standby?" Rose shook her head, silently. "Am I just supposed to sit here for the rest of my life, waiting for you? Because I will."

Rose shook her head again. "I'm sorry." She said, quietly.

Mickey leaned against the railings. She touched his arm, but he shook her off, too absorbed in his fury.

* * *

"I promise you, I've changed since we last met, Doctor. There was this girl... just today... young thing. Something of a danger. She was getting too close. I felt the blood lust rising, just as the family taught me, I was going to kill her without a thought. And then... I stopped. She's alive somewhere right now, she's walking around this city because I _can_ change, I _did_ change. I know I can't prove it-"

"I believe you." He said, calmly.

"Then you know I'm capable of change."

The Doctor shook his head. "It doesn't mean anything."

"I spared her life." She protested.

"You let one of them go, but that's nothing new. Every now and then, a little victim's spared. Because she smiled... because he's got freckles... 'cos they begged... and that's how you live with yourself. That's how you slaughter millions. Because once in a while, on a whim, if the wind's in the right direction... you happen to be kind."

Margaret stared at him, coldly, realising that there was nothing she could say that would move him. "Only a killer would know that."

There was a pause and the Doctor stared at her, completely thrown by the words.

"Is that right? From what I've seen, your happy-go-lucky little life leaves devastation in its wake. Always moving on 'cos you dare not look back. Playing with so many peoples lives, you might as well be a God." Margaret hissed.

The Doctor turned away, stung.

"And you're right, Doctor... you're absolutely right. Sometimes... you let one go." She looked into the Doctor's eyes, her own filled with tears. "Let me go." She begged, softly.

The Doctor stared back at him, his entire confidence torn apart.

* * *

Rose and Mickey were standing side by side on the bench and she was stroking his hands, gently.

"I'm not asking you to leave him, because I know that's not fair. But I just need something, yeah? Some sort of promise that when you _do_ come back, you're coming back for me." Mickey murmured.

Rose spun around, as she heard a low rumbling in the distance. "Is that thunder?"

Mickey frowned, annoyed that her attention was so easily diverted. "Does it matter?"

Rose stood up, looking worriedly into the distance. "That's not thunder."

* * *

Margaret's voice was quiet, her desperation growing significantly. "In the family Slitheen, we had no choice. I was made to carry out my first kill at thirteen. If I'd refused, my father would have fed me to the Venom Grubs." The Doctor turned his head to the side, hearing a low rumble. "If I'm a killer, it's because I was born to kill, it's all I know!" There was no reply from the Doctor, his attention stolen by the rumble, his brows furrowed in concentration. "Doctor? Are you even _listening_ to me?" She scowled.

The Doctor frowned. "Can you hear that?"

"I'm begging for my life-"

"No," The Doctor waved her off. "Listen, shush…"

He held up a hand to silence her. He peered at the glasses on the table, which were beginning to tremble, slightly, against the impact. Very suddenly, the glass windows of the restaurant shattered and the diners began to scream.

* * *

A streetlight smashed and the passer-bys shrieked in shock and terror. Baffled, Mickey looked around for Rose, but she was already racing in the direction of the TARDIS.

Mickey glared after her. "Oh, go on then, run! It's him again, isn't it? It's the Doctor! It's always the Doctor! It's always gonna be the Doctor and it's never _me_!" He yelled, bitterly.

* * *

The Doctor and Margaret hurried down a flight of stairs, the sound of screaming and smashing echoing in the background. Margaret was struggling to match the Doctor's pace.

"The handcuffs!" Margaret said, urgently.

The Doctor scowled and waited for her at the foot of the stairs, pulling off her handcuff when she reached him. He grabbed her wrist once it was free.

"Don't think you're running away." He said, warningly.

"Oh, I'm sticking with you." Margaret said, fearfully.

He pulled her off in the direction of the TARDIS, a terrified feeling encompassing him all over. _She's in there and I'm not there with her. She could be hurt. Not her. Not again. _The words chanted through his mind like a never-ending song. The glass shattered over their heads, but he didn't give it a second thought.

"Some date this turned out to be!" Margaret shouted over the noise.

They ran down another set of steps, bumping into people on the way through the chaos.

* * *

The Doctor's eyes widened with shock as they finally saw the TARDIS at the other side of the square. A huge bolt of lightening ripped out of the TARDIS roof and into the sky and storm clouds began to gather over the TARDIS.

"It's the rift." The Doctor said, horrified. "The rift's opening."

_Anika. Oh, Omega, no._

* * *

"Remove it. Remove it now!" The Priestess shrieked at Jack, dodging the sparks that erupted from the console.

Jack, panicking, ripped out the wires connecting the extrapolator to the TARDIS, the lights on the extrapolator flashing madly.

The Priestess swallowed hard, staring at him with dread, and turned around to stroke one of the coral struts of the TARDIS.

_What is it, darling? What is the extrapolator doing to you?_ The Priestess asked the TARDIS, hurriedly.

_Sister, Prophet, the extrapolator is using my power to open the rift underneath Cardiff._ The TARDIS' crooning voice echoed through her head. Anyone else and they would have been clutching their heads in pain. But the Priestess' mind was strong and was able to sustain past the slight ache that formed at the edges of her mind.

* * *

The Doctor and Margaret hurried across the Millennium Square, the ground starting to crack and splint beneath their feet. Margaret looked terrified, her eyes shifting from side to side, as the Doctor fit the key inside the lock of the TARDIS and pulled her inside.

* * *

The whole ship was shuddering, the lights blinking, furiously. The Doctor raced up the stairs to the Priestess and pulled her into a tight hug, his hands spreading across her back, soothingly.

"Are you okay?" He demanded, his hands tightening around her waist. "Are you hurt?"

"I am fine." She shouted, dodging his embrace and moving around the console, her fingers flying over the buttons and switches.

The Doctor rounded on Jack. "What the hell are you doing?" He yelled at him.

Jack threw his hands up in the air. "It just went crazy!"

The Doctor ran over to the console, joining the Priestess and Jack. "It's the rift! Time and space are ripping apart. The whole city's gonna disappear!" He shouted, as small explosions erupted from the console.

* * *

Rose finally reached Millennium Square, and she was confronted with the sight of the TARDIS, the lightening shooting out of the bulb at the top and into the sky. Her eyes widened, comically, and she flinched when another rumble rocked her feet. She began to run across the Square towards the TARDIS, more cracks appearing in the ground as she did so.

* * *

There were more explosions coming from the console, as the Doctor, the Priestess and Jack worked, furiously.

"It's the extrapolator! I've disconnected it but it's still feeding off the engine! It's _using_ the TARDIS, I can't stop it!" Jack shouted, helplessly.

"Cardiff is the _least_ of our worries. The rift will _rip open_ the planet!" The Priestess shrieked.

Rose burst inside the TARDIS. "What is it? What's happening?" She asked, panicking.

"Oh, just little _me_!" Margaret said, gleefully. She freed one of her arms from her skin-suit, revealing the large, green Slitheen claw. She grabbed Rose by the neck. The Doctor and the Priestess darted forwards. "One wrong move and she snaps like a promise." She hissed out, threateningly.

The Doctor scowled, his hands clenching at his sides. "I might've know."

Margaret moved closer to Rose, tightening her grip around her throat. "I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it." She turned to Jack. "You… fly boy… put the extrapolator at my feet."

Jack hesitated and Margaret only tightened her grip around Rose's neck. Jack looked over to the Priestess for help and she nodded, motioning for him to give Margaret the extrapolator, and Jack did as he was told.

"Thank you. Just as I planned." Margaret said, pleasantly.

"I thought you needed to blow up the nuclear power station." Rose choked out.

"Failing that, if I were to be... arrested... then anyone capable of tracking me down would have considerable technology of their own. Therefore, they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor. And your girlfriend's not too bad either. So the extrapolator was programmed to go to Plan B!" She tugged on one of Rose's plaits, roughly, making her whimper. "To lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift." She looked around at the TARDIS with awe. "And what a power source it found... I'm back on schedule... thanks to you."

"The rift's gonna convulse… she'll destroy the whole planet." Jack pointed out.

"And you with it!" Margaret pushed Rose aside, so that she could stand on the extrapolator, but still kept a hold around her neck. Her face twisted into a sick, evil smile. "While I ride this board over the crest of the inferno all the way to freedom. Stand back, boys and girls… surf's up."

Suddenly, a panel on the console, directly in front of Margaret, burst open, and a blinding golden light flooded out. Margaret looked at it with surprise, then up at the Doctor and the Priestess on the other side of the console with confusion.

"The problem with your plan is that opening the rift results in this ship being pulled apart." The Priestess said, calmly, the two of them standing as silent, stoic figures, side by side.

"So sue me." Margaret scowled.

The Doctor smirked. "It's not just any old power source. It's the TARDIS. _Our_ TARDIS. The best ship in the universe."

"It'll make wonderful scrap." Margaret said, nastily.

"What's that light?" Rose asked, struggling to see past the beefy green arm around her neck.

The Priestess seethed, inwardly, after Margaret's last comment, but she was determined not to show her anger. "The heart of the TARDIS." She said, coolly. "This ship is sentient. And you have just opened its soul." She crooned, viciously.

Breathing heavily, Margaret stared into the light, as if forgetting everything else. Her voice lost all tone and became dreamy and vague. "It's ... so bright..."

"Look at it, Margaret." The Doctor urged.

"… Beautiful…"

"Look inside, Blon Fel Fotch." The Priestess purred. "Look at the light."

Margaret was transfixed by the light, her eyes glazing over, and her grip on Rose relaxed. Rose stumbled out of the way and Jack and the Priestess pulled her behind them. Margaret continued to stare in to the light, a blissful smile spreading across her face. The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look and Margaret looked up at them, the Time Lord and Time Lady smiling, slightly, at her.

"Thank you." She said, softly and genuinely.

She was engulfed by the light, and when it cleared, her skin-suit flopped on top of the extrapolator, empty. The Priestess, immediately, sprung into action, darting around the console.

"Shut your eyes and stay there!" She shouted, warningly. She slammed down levers and the gap in the console closed, shutting out the white light.

_Are you all right, my darling? _She asked the TARDIS, worriedly.

_I am fine, Dream Child, just a bit weary. I will need some time to recover._ The TARDIS replied, the soothing voice thrumming through her mind.

"Now, Jack, come on, shut it all down. Shut down!" The Doctor shouted, noticing that the Priestess was talking to the TARDIS.

Jack rushed over to the console.

The Priestess moved over to a panel and turned all of the switches to the right. The three worked, busily, while Rose stood off to the side, looking uncomfortable and left out. The console exploded with sparks. The shaking lessened and the lightening shooting from the top of the TARDIS into the sky disappeared, everything returning to normal.

The Doctor sighed in relief. "Nicely done. Thank you, all."

"What happened to Margaret?" Rose asked, confused.

"Must've got burnt up. Carried out her own death sentence." Jack mused.

The Doctor and the Priestess looked down at the empty skin-suit. "No, I don't think she's dead."

Rose's brow furrowed. "Then… where'd she go?"

The Priestess exhaled. She looked over at Rose, her eyes narrowing at the young blonde girl, knowing that she had to explain, if she wanted her vision to go ahead the way she had seen it. "She peered into the heart of the TARDIS. The heart of the TARDIS contains pure Artron Energy. It is a direct link to the Space-Time Vortex. The TARDIS would be able to directly understand the viewer's thoughts and emotions by converting them into the language of Time itself. Ideas and concepts that are strongly believed in can spontaneously become real through the use of orbital energy. And… in Margaret's case," She kneeled down next to the skin-suit for a closer look. Rose and Jack followed suit, so all four of them were huddled around them. The Doctor reached inside the skin suit and pulled out an egg. "It altered her biodata, reverting her to her childhood form."

"She's an egg?" Rose's eyes widened.

"Regressed to her childhood." The Doctor explained.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "She's an egg?"

"She can start again! Live her life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell 'em to bring her up properly, she might be all right!" The Doctor said, hopefully.

"Or she might be worse." Jack pointed out.

"That is her choice." The Priestess murmured. "She obviously wanted this a great deal."

"She's an egg." Rose said, unable to wrap her mind around that concept.

The Doctor nodded. "She's an egg."

Rose's eyes widened, suddenly. "Oh, my god. Mickey-"

She dashed out of the TARDIS, sprinting back across Millennium Square.

* * *

Rose ran down a street near the Bay. She couldn't see Mickey anywhere, who was standing alone and watching from a distance, the firelight flickering on his face. He watched Rose tap a paramedic on the shoulder and question him. The paramedic shook his head and Rose left him, looking very lost and not knowing where to look next. Mickey turned and walked away in the night.

* * *

Rose walked back inside the TARDIS, where the Doctor and the Priestess were fiddling with the console, Jack around the other side.

"We're all powered up. We can leave. Opening the rift filled us up with energy, we can go. If that's all right..." The Doctor explained, trailing off.

"Yeah, fine." Rose said, lightly, but the Priestess could see the traces of tears on her cheeks, making her worry.

The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look. "How's Mickey?" He asked Rose, carefully.

Rose nodded. "He's okay. He's gone."

The Priestess pursed her lips and took a step forward. "My dear, would you like to go and search for him? We will wait…" She offered.

"No need. He deserves better." Rose whispered, more to herself than to the others, her eyes filling with tears and her hands shaking at her side.

"Off we go, then. Always moving on…" The Doctor said, briskly, pulling a lever down.

"Next stop, Raxacoricofallapatorius. Now, you don't often get to say that." Jack smirked and nudged the Priestess in the side, making her laugh, lightly.

The Doctor balanced the egg on the console. "We'll just stop by and pop her in the hatchery. Margaret the Slitheen can live her life again! A second chance."

Rose was staring into a space, her mind whirring a mile a minute. "That'd be nice…" She murmured to herself.

The engines rose and fell and the TARDIS faded away.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all liked the chapter! I really couldn't wait for this chapter because I got to explain some things about the Bonding process between the Doctor and the Priestess and establish more of a connection between the Priestess and the TARDIS. I just want to reiterate something. The Priestess is not jealous of Rose and vice versa. The Priestess is worried about what Rose is going to do and she's suspicious, that's all. Rose is just a little uncertain and uncomfortable at this point. She doesn't know what to make of the Priestess or the Doctor's relationship with the Priestess. I always got the feeling that Rose didn't start to develop feelings for the Doctor until he regenerated, or at the most, _Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways._ So, we won't see a properly jealous Rose until Season 2. And we never know how the Priestess will react to a jealous Rose. We'll see a different Priestess after the Doctor regenerated. I wonder if she'll take Rose's crap?

Next is the finale for Season 1. I wonder how it will go. We may even see some more of a backstory between the Doctor and the Priestess when they are faced with the Daleks. And I wonder how the Priestess will react to Rose becoming the Bad Wolf.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!


	15. Bad Wolf: Housemate

Dream Weaver – Chapter 15

A/N: Okay, so I thought I'd do this thing where I'd update all of my stories on Valentine's Day as a treat to celebrate my three favourite relationships at the moment: Docthea (from _Th__e Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_), Doctess (from _Dream Weaver_) and Nikliyah (from _Stormdancer_). Anyway, hope you guys have an awesome Valentine's Day and enjoy all of my updates.

And here's the first chapter of the finale for Season 1. I'm really excited to write this by the way. Let's hope for some Doctess!

Actually, I was just wondering... I've been having a lot of trouble uploading and editing chapters after I upgraded my Mac to Yosemite and I was wondering if any of my readers had an idea of what I could do. Help would be much appreciated. It would take away the delay in my updates ;)

Replies to Reviews:

NicoleR85: Don't worry, the Priestess will definitely not be taking any crap from Rose in Season 2. In fact, I have already written a pretty scathing scene between the two in _The Christmas Invasion _and I think it should be interesting. What I didn't realise when I went back and rewatched Season 1 and 2 was that not only is Rose completely self-absorbed, but she has a tendency to put down people who she feel are threats to her. She did that to Trisha Delaney in _Boom Town_ and called her 'big' as if her being fat means that she's not good enough for Mickey. And she did it to Sarah Jane, insinuating that Sarah was old in their computer room confrontation and she did it to that waitress in _Rise of the Cybermen_, I think her name was Lucy. She called her a bit 'thick' as if there's no way anyone but her could be telling the Doctor the God's honest truth. I think there's a part of her that thinks every woman that the Doctor pays attention to her other than her has something wrong with her and she has to find something wrong with them to make herself feel better. I think it's called narcissism or she just reminds me of some bitchy teenage girl who has poor self-esteem, so she has cut other people down to feel good about herself. But yeah, I got sick of her after awhile, so I turned onto Martha, who is inexplicably my favourite because I feel like she got the short-straw by all of them. In the 10th Doctor's reign, I feel like she was the only one who actually grew from her experiences (and Mickey). Rose had to settle for the human Doctor and up till the end, she was unwilling to let the Doctor go. She didn't grow at all. I mean, I suppose she learnt that she was more than just a shop girl but the message that I was left with Rose was so esoteric that I just didn't buy it. You actually had to live her life to end up with that result. It didn't transcend the show. I love Donna, but because she lost all her memories, her character development became pointless in the end. I mean, I loved her as she grew into this amazing woman who could move past all of her insecurities, but because she forgot everything she did, it was like they put the reset button on her character. I loved Donna more than Rose (as one of the white, female companions of the 10th Doctor) because her message transcended the show. Rose was 19, she had all her life to reinvent herself and become more than just a shop girl (which, to be honest, is a lot of 19 year old girls - she wasn't really something special), but Donna was probably in her mid 30s. At the time in her life, Donna should've been settled into her life, stable job, on her way to marriage, living away from home, but she didn't have any of that. That's what makes her story so interesting because she overcame all of those obstacles that I'm sure would've stopped other women her age. But Martha became my favourite because I can relate to her in a way that I couldn't to the others. You know, I'm not white, I have parents who constantly fight and I'm placed in the middle and my career was more of my parent's imagining than what I really wanted to do. So, I have a lot of similarities with Martha and I can appreciate the struggles she went through with the Doctor (who was a total dick to her, by the way, and she deserved so much more than a half-hearted apology at the end of _The Last of the Time Lords_). Anyway, thank you so much for the review, and don't worry, the Priestess won't be in a way bowing down to Rose. I think she has a capacity for cruelty that the Doctor doesn't, so it makes her quite scary.

TimeladyAlly: Well, Sarah Jane is an interesting one. Going my some of the adventures she had with her Doctors, it is very possible she has met the Priestess before. We'll have to see their relationship in _School Reunion_. The Master... is an interesting one. I don't want to give anything away about him, just that you'll have to wait until Season 3 for their strange relationship. Going by the Doctor Who timeline, I think it's possible that they were both of Gallifrey together when the Doctor was off on his travels. Davros... is very interesting. Again, I think we've seen a few tidbits of her relationship with Davros. It gets more darker in _The Stolen Earth/Journey's End_ but I do have to remind you that the Priestess was tortured by Davros during the Time War, in fact, she was on his ship when it went into the Nightmare Child, so there is a previous relationship between the two. I'm not so shire about UNIT, just yet. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

The Dreamer: I'm assuming you mean Rose? I'm not so sure, I haven't really worked out much of that in the future. I know a lot of Time Lady OC authors like to make the Metacrisis Doctor be with Rose, but I'm not down with that. The whole point of the Metacrisis Doctor and Rose in Doctor Who was to show that the Metacrisis Doctor was exactly the same as the Doctor. The Doctor had feelings for Rose, so the Metacrisis Doctor had feelings for Rose. So, if the Doctor never develops feelings for Rose because he's in love with the Priestess, I think that would translate to the Metacrisis Doctor not having feelings for Rose. So, I'm not sure of a pairing for Rose... but I'm open to suggestions!

EisforElephant: I think it's important to note in this story that the Priestess and the Doctor are in an established relationship, whereas I've seen a lot of Time Lady OC stories cover Season 2 and a jealous Rose where the OC and the Doctor are kind of skirting around their feelings for each other. But that being said, unfortunately, it is quite common for men and women to cheat on their significant other. We don't know what'll happen in Season 2. I'm so glad you're okay with my rendition of Rose bashing. I know a lot of stories do the whole 'I hate Rose and I want her to die a horrible, brutal death and I want all the other characters to dance on her grave'. But I like Rose in some points and that will reflect in my story. I'm trying to keep the Priestess as the objective party in the storyline. Sometimes, the Doctor can be blinded by his feelings for Rose, but the Priestess will step in at those times and call her on them. The Priestess won't regenerate at the end of Season 1, unfortunately, but there is a backstory for the whole 'ginger obsession' for the Doctor and it does have to do with the Priestess. So, you'll just have to wait and see.

DRWfangirl: Yep, the Priestess is Susan's grandmother. I think I mentioned that in _The Long Game _and a few reviews, but yes. Susan is the eldest of the Doctor's and the Priestess' grandchildren ;) Thank you so much!

time-twilight: Actually, that was exactly the logic I was going for! Rose, I think, needs to be a bit oblivious about their relationship until Season 4 because I want Rose to come back at the end. I think the Doctor's age in the show is kind of confusing. As far as my story goes, they're pretending to be about 900, so just go with that as far as continuity goes, but they may be older than that.

Warnings: Flirting…

* * *

Bad Wolf: Housemate

The Doctor and the Priestess were crouched inside what seemed to be a small cupboard. The tiny enclosure started spinning and spinning, making them dizzy with the movements. The Doctor leapt to his feet, hauling the Priestess up against his body. He smoothed back her hair, his eyes searching her face and body for any injuries. She was wearing a dark blue ruffle dress with matching blue tights, black sandals adorning her feet. For the life of him, he couldn't remember when she had put those clothes on. Hell, he didn't even seem to remember what had happened just before waking up.

"Okay?" He demanded, his hands sliding down her arms.

She nodded, pressing a kiss to his chest. "I am fine. And you?" Her brown eyes looked him over, worriedly.

"I'm good." He said, reassuringly, knowing how she worried.

The two turned around and started to frantically feel the walls.

"What is it? What's happening?" The Doctor asked, worriedly.

He, unexpectedly, found a door and the two fell through it. The Doctor landed flat on his face on the floor, the Priestess falling on top of him, her legs entwining with his. The Priestess raised her head, her hair dancing around her face, observing that they now found themselves in a brightly coloured room, with drawings on the wall and modern-style chairs.

"Oh, my god!" A blonde woman of around thirty shouted and hurried over to them. "I don't _believe_ it! Why'd they put you in there? They never said you were coming!"

The Priestess pulled herself to her feet, with some difficulty, her head swimming. She clutched her head and shook her head. "My love, I believe I am far too old to experience this again and again."

The Doctor tried to pull himself up, but failed, much too disorientated. "But what happened? We were…"

The Priestess hooked one of her arms underneath his and helped him to his feet. "With care, now."

The Doctor's arms slipped from the Priestess' and his legs gave away and he fell flat on his face again.

"Oh!" The woman exclaimed. "Mind yourself! Oh, that's the transmat. Scrambles your head. I was sick for days."

The Priestess tugged him up again and succeeded this time. "Better now?" She asked, softly.

He grunted, finally being able to stabilise himself.

"So!" The blonde woman exclaimed again, drawing their attention towards her. "What're your names then, sweethearts?"

"I am the Priestess and this is the Doctor." The Priestess replied, looking at the Doctor with concern.

"We were… I don't know, what happened? How-" He looked over at the Priestess with worry.

_What's going on, 'Nika?_ He asked, worriedly.

_I have absolutely nothing to tell you, Theta. I awoke the exact same way that you did. Somehow, someone transported us from the TARDIS to here. I wonder who has that sort of technology. And what would be their motive? _She asked, curiously.

_This is going to be something big, isn't it? _The Doctor asked her, dread chilling his veins. He remembered the words that the Priestess had spoken during the throes of her vision and he closed his eyes in worry. Whatever she had meant by those words, he had the gut-wrenching feeling that it would come to pass soon.

_I am afraid so. _The Priestess said, grimly.

She knew exactly what he was thinking. She knew that his mind had returned him to the night she had her first vision after Van Statten's museum. She had no idea what he had seen during the vision and she knew even if he told her, she wouldn't remember it. That was the curse she bore. She only remembered what she needed to remember. Otherwise, it was a sort of trance for her. She acted without knowing what she was doing.

The woman nodded and grinned at them. "You were chosen." She said, happily, as if this explained everything.

"Chosen for what, exactly?" The Priestess asked, suspiciously.

"You're house mates. You're in the house. Isn't that brilliant?!" She laughed as if this were truly something to be happy about.

A male voice came from within. "That's not fair." A young man grumbled. There were two other housemates sitting on a purple couch in front of a television, which had a familiar eye logo on the screen. "We've got eviction in five minutes! I've been here for all nine weeks, I've followed the rules, I haven't had a single warning, and then they come swanning in." He complained, gesturing to the extremely confused Doctor and Priestess, clearly rather peeved.

"If they keep changing the rules, I'm gonna protest, I am. You just watch me, I'm-I'm gonna paint the walls." The other housemate said.

The Doctor looked around at the House, mouth open and brow furrowed, while the Priestess stared at the eye on the screen of the television with increasing suspicion, both completely bemused.

"Would the Doctor and the Priestess please come to the Diary Room?" Big Brother's voice rang out over the theme music.

The Doctor and the Priestess looked up at the ceiling, trying to see where the voice was coming from, then turned around when they heard a buzzing sound coming from behind them. A silver door with an illuminated eye on the side awaited them. They walked over to the door, opened it and went inside, carefully, the Doctor making sure that the Priestess was at his side, rather than in front of or behind him, just in case. He wasn't about to take any chances with her safety, especially when they knew something so much more serious was going on here.

They found themselves in the Diary Room. The Doctor plonked himself down in the bright red chair, looking rather useless, while the Priestess wiggled herself to sit on the armchair.

"You are live on channel forty-four-thousand. Please do not swear." Big Brother said.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

* * *

Rose was lying on the floor of a darkened room in a beam of light. She was just starting to regain consciousness, even though her head was still aching. She looked around, bemused, with a dreary, tired look on her face.

"What happened?" She moaned out, blearily.

A dark-skinned man crouched beside her, observing her carefully. "It's all right… it's the transmat. Does your head in." Rose looked around at her surroundings, blinking, furiously. "Get a bit of amnesia. What's your name?" He asked her.

"Rose." She frowned. "But… where's the Doctor? Where's the Priestess?" She asked, confused, looking around, desperately.

"Just remember, do what the Android says. Don't provoke it. The Android's word is law." The man said, sternly.

Rose's brow furrowed in confusion. "What d'you mean, android? Like… a robot?" She asked.

She looked around as a voice called out. "Positions, everyone! Thank you!"

"Come on. Hurry up!" The man urged, helping Rose to her feet. "Steady, steady…"

Rose hung onto him for support. "I was travelling. With the Doctor and a woman called the Priestess and a man called Captain Jack...? The Doctor wouldn't just leave me..." She trailed off, beginning to sound scared.

"That's enough chat! Positions! Final call!" The floor manager shouted. She was standing next to an inactive robot, which was being attended by technicians. The robot stood on a platform around which were six platforms, the contestants milling around. "Good luck!"

The man smiled, slightly, in anticipation and looked at Rose.

"But I'm not supposed to be here." Rose said, frightened and confused.

"Well, it says 'Rose' here on the podium…" Rose looked, and sure enough, her name lit up on one of the podiums. She stared at it. "Come on!"

The man dashed off and climbed up to stand behind his podium. Slowly, confused, but with a dawning revelation, Rose took her place behind her own podium.

"Hold on… I must being going mad." Rose murmured. She looked around at her surroundings, the technicians and Floor Manager still attending to the inactive Android. Her eyes widened in realisation. "It can't be. This look's like-"

"Android activated!" The Floor Manager called out.

The Android sprung to life, raising her face up.

Rose swallowed hard, her face going deathly pale. "Oh, my God. The Android. The Anne… Droid."

"Welcome to 'The Weakest Link'!"

* * *

Jack found himself in a white, clinical room, as blurry faces slowly came into clarity.

"Here we go again. We've got our work cut out for us."

"I don't know, he's sort of handsome. That's a good lantern jaw."

Jack's eyes snapped open. He was lying on a chair in a studio, being examined by two female robots. He blinked in his confusion.

"Lantern jaws are _so_ last year."

"Sorry… nice to meet you ladies, but where exactly am I?" Jack asked, confusedly.

"We're giving you a brand-new image."

Jack frowned. "Oh, hold on, I was with the Doctor and the Priestess-" His eyes widened when he realized what one of the robots had just said and he looked at them with alarm. "Why, is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"It's all very twentieth century… where _did_ you get that denim?"

Jack shrugged. "Little place in Cardiff… it was called 'Top Shop."

One of the androids glided around them. "Oh, classic design."

"But we're gonna have to find you some new colours. Maybe get rid of that 'Oklahoma Farm Boy' thing you've got going on..."

Jack stood up and faced them, his hands on his hips, rather indignant but at a loss for words.

"Just stand still and let the Defabricator work its magic."

"What's the Defabricator?" Jack asked.

The androids pressed a button on a gun-like machine beside them and a beam of light hit Jack's clothing and relieved him off it, leaving him naked in the white room, although he didn't seem to be at all bothered by his sudden nudity.

"Okay…" Jack nodded. "Defabricator. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Am I naked in front of millions of viewers?"

"Absolutely!" Both androids intoned.

"Ladies…" Jack glanced down his body, a smug smile spreading across his face. "… Your viewing figures just went up."

* * *

The sonic screwdriver whirred and buzzed as the Doctor tried to open a door. He halted, looking up at the Priestess.

"I can't open it." He said, helplessly, to the Priestess.

The Priestess pursed her lips, her mind racing. "It must be a deadlock seal."

The blonde woman nodded, coming up to them. "Ever since Big Brother Five Hundred and Four when they all walked out...?" There was no answer from the Doctor or the Priestess, who were walking, swiftly, to the other side of the room, looking for any possible exits. She stared at them with incredulity. "You _must_ remember that."

The Priestess gestured to a mirror on the wall. "And this?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, that's exoglass. You'd need a nuclear bomb to get through."

"Don't tempt me." The Doctor grumbled, scanning the edges.

The woman leaned against the wall next to them. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but kept silent. She looked around, worriedly, before lowering her voice. "I know you're not supposed to talk about the outside world, but you must've been watching. Do people like me? Lynda with a Y, not Linda with an I… she got forcibly evicted because she damaged the camera." The Doctor nodded, grinning in an uninterested sort of way. "Am I popular?" She asked, hesitantly.

"I don't remember." The Doctor said, indifferently.

The Priestess nudged him in the side. _Must you act so apathetic, this obviously means a great deal to her._ She scolded.

_Okay, fine. _The Doctor sighed.

"Oh, but does that mean I'm nothing? Some people get this far just 'cos they're insignificant. Doesn't anybody notice me?" Lynda asked, quickly.

The Doctor turned to her, almost pityingly, once he saw the bare hope in her eyes. "No... you're... you're nice. You're sweet. Everybody thinks you're sweet." He grinned, reassuringly.

"Oh! Is that right? Is that what I am?" Lynda asked, flattered. "Oh, no-one's ever told me that before. Am I sweet? Really?" She asked again, very pleased.

"Yes, very sweet." The Priestess added, smiling, softly, at the woman.

Lynda grinned at them, brightly, touched by their words. "Thank you!"

The Doctor looked over at one of the windows, seeing that it was solid black. "It's just a wall, isn't there supposed to be a garden out there."

They walked over to it and Lynda followed.

"Don't be daft. No-one's got a garden anymore. Who's got a garden?" Lynda gasped. "Don't tell me _you've_ got a garden!" She said, incredulously.

The Doctor examined the wall. "No, we've just got the TARDIS." He spun around and fixed the Priestess with an intense look, the Priestess matching it. His shoulders slumped. "I remember."

"I as well." The Priestess said, grimly.

"That's the amnesia! So what happened? Where did they get you?" Lynda asked, curiously.

"We had just left Raxacoricofallapatorius. Then, we travelled to Kyoto." The Doctor nodded in agreement at the Priestess' words and she continued. "Japan in 1336. And we had only just escaped…"

They had been laughing together inside the TARDIS.

"We were together, we were laughing, and then... there was this light..."

The Priestess remembered a bright light shining through the walls of the TARDIS. She remembered desperately reaching for the Doctor, as they were sucked into the light.

"There was a while light coming through the walls, and then… and then, we awoke here." The Priestess finished.

Lynda nodded. "Yeah, that's the transmat beam. That's how they pick the housemates."

The Doctor sighed at her naivety. "Oh, Lynda with a Y… sweet little Lynda…" He walked a few paces into the room. "It's worse than that."

The Priestess hitched in a breath, looking around, suspiciously. "We are not simply passing travellers. There is absolutely no transmat ever built in this universe that is able to penetrate our ship. That beam was a great deal more powerful than a mere transmat beam, which means…" She looked at the Doctor and clucked her tongue. "This is not a game. At least, not for us. Someone intended for us to come here. There is some other force working here."

The Doctor nodded and touched her hip, wordlessly. She looked up at him with fathomless eyes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He stepped closer to a camera that had been hidden inside one of the mirrors on the wall.

"Well! Here's the latest update from the Big Brother house. We're getting out." He looked straight into the camera, his eyes going hard and dangerous. "We're gonna find our friends. And then… we're gonna find _you_." He placed his finger on the camera lens, threateningly.

* * *

"17... 16... 15... thank you people, transmitting in 12... 11... 10..." The Floor Manager continued to count.

Agitated, Rose turned to the man who had helped her up. "But I need to find the Doc-"

The man pushed her back, impatiently, any compassion draining away from his face. "Just… shut up and play the game!"

Rose scowled. "All right then. What the hell? I'm gonna play to win!" She smiled to herself.

The man looked, distractedly, at her, looking at her as if he thought she was mad.

"3, and cue!"

The android came to life. "Let's play 'The Weakest Link'." There was the sound of theme music and spotlights shone down on them. "Agorax… the name of which basic food stuff is an anagram of the word 'beard'?"

"Bread."

"Correct." The android turned to the woman on the next podium. "Fitch, in the Pan Traffic Calendar, which month comes after Hoob?"

"Is it… Cavandoe?"

"No, Pandoff. Rose, in maths, what is 258 minus 158?"

Rose's eyes widened and she almost leapt over the podium. "One hundred!" She exclaimed, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Correct." The android turned to the man who had assisted Rose earlier. "Rodrick-"

"Bank." Rodrick interrupted the android.

"Which letter of the alphabet appears in the word 'dangle' but not in the word 'gland'?"

Rodrick paused. "E."

"Correct! Colleen, in social security, what D is the name of the payment given to Martian Drones?"

"Default." Colleen answered.

"Correct. Broff, the Great Cobalt Pyramid is built on the remains of which famous Old Earth Institute?"

"T-Touchdown." Broff stuttered, his terror clear in his eyes.

"No. Torchwood." The android answered, calmly. Rose laughed and Broff's expression was genuinely distraught. "Agorax, in language, all five examples of which type of letter appear in the word 'facetious'?"

"Vowels." Agorax replied.

"Correct. Fitch, in biology, which blood cells contain iron? Red or white?"

"Um…" Fitch bit her lip. "White." She guessed.

Rose giggled in response, not realising the absolute danger of the situation she had found herself. She couldn't seem to understand why Fitch looked as if her heart had just dropped ten stories into her stomach.

"No, red. Rose, in the holovid series 'Jupiter Rising', the Grexnik is married to whom?"

"How should I know?" Rose laughed at the absurdity of the situation, not being able to do much else.

"No, the correct answer is Lord Drayvole. Rodrick, in maths, what is nine squared?"

* * *

Jack stood, admiring himself in the mirror, flexing his muscles through the reflection. He was wearing a pair of black leather trousers and a white vest.

"It's the buccaneer look. Little dash of pirate and just a tweak of President Schwarzenegger." One of the androids explained.

"Nah," Jack shook his head and struck a pose in the mirror. "Not sure about the vest. What about a little bit of colour to lift it?"

"Absolutely not. Never wear black with colour. It makes the colour look cheap and the black look boring. Now, let's talk jackets."

Jack eyed the clothing rack, appreciatively. "I kinda like the first one…" He offered.

"No, that's a bit too much Hell's Angel. I think I like the shorter one." Jack shrugged into it in front of the mirror. "Look, waist length, nice and slimming, shows off the bum." The android patted his bum.

Jack turned to her, eyeing her with the slightest amount of suspicion. "Works for me." He replied.

"Once we've got an outfit, we can look at the face. Ever thought about cosmetic surgery?" The android asked Jack.

Jack raised an eyebrow, thinking about what she had just said. "Well, I've considered it, yeah. A little lift around the eyes... tighten up the jaw line... what do you think?" He placed his hands on one of the android's plastic breasts, flirtatiously.

"Oh, let's have a _bit_ more ambition…" The android took a cap off her forearm, revealing a remarkably sharp chainsaw underneath. "Let's do something… cutting edge." The android purred through her mechanical voice.

* * *

"So, Rose. What do you actually do?" The android asked her.

"I just travel about a bit. Bit of a... tourist, I suppose." Rose answered, lightly, her entire body relaxed, unaware of the horror she found herself in.

Rodrick, holding up a card that had 'Fitch' written over it, glanced, incredulously, over at her.

"Another way of saying 'unemployed'." The android replied, snarkily.

Rose frowned. "No." She said, offended.

If the android could have raised an eyebrow, the android would have. "Have you got a job?"

"Well… not really, no, but-" Rose began, uncomfortably.

"Then you _are_ unemployed! And yet, you've _still_ got enough money to buy peroxide. Why Fitch?" The android asked.

Rose looked completely wrong-footed by the comments of Anne Droid. "Uh… I think she got a few of the questions wrong…" Fitch was staring at the ground, tears running down her cheeks, helplessly, as her eyes shifted from side to side, no hope reflected in her eyes. "… that's all."

"Oh, you'd know all about that." Anne Droid said sarcastically.

"Well, yeah, but I can't vote for myself, so it had to be Fitch…" Rose said, slowly, as if she were explaining this to someone stupid. Fitch sobbed, silently, in the background. Rose looked disturbed and confused, not understanding what the big deal was in voting against Fitch. She turned to the woman in question. "I'm sorry… that's the game. That's how it works… I had to vote for someone." She said, somewhat apologetically.

Fitch ignored her, deciding not to reply, and addressed the android, practically quaking with fear and dread. "Let me try again, it was the lights and everything, I couldn't think." She begged, desperation leaking into her voice.

"In fact, with three answers wrong, Broff was the weakest link in that round, but, it's votes that count." Anne Droid said.

"I'm sorry. Oh, please… oh, God, help me!" Fitch pleaded, looking around at the other contestants, desperately, her eyes wild with panic.

Rose looked at her, completely lost why someone was taking the loss of a game show so hard. She watched as Rodrick looked everywhere else but Fitch and as Broff sobbed, silently, into the board he was holding up, realising how close he had come to being eliminated. Rose glanced back at the android, wondering what would happen next.

"Fitch. You are the weakest link. Goodbye." The android sounded.

The Anne Droid's mouth opened and gun protruded from it, aiming the barrel straight at a terrified Fitch. Without a moment's hesitation, the gun fired a thick and fast bolt of yellow light, which hit Fitch, disintegrating her in a second. The gun retreated back into the android's mouth. Rose looked back, having hidden her face from actually witnessing the brutal murder, and stared at the billowing smoke where Fitch had just stood.

"And we've gone to the adverts. Back in three minutes..." The floor manager explained, coming back onto the stage.

Rose swallowed hard, her mouth growing dry, and she felt tears come to her eyes, threatening to spill over. She looked over at Rodrick, confused and terrified. "Wassat? What just happened?"

Rodrick wiped his board clean. "She was the weakest link. She gets disintegrated." Rose remained uncomprehending and made a small noise from the back of her throat. Rodrick rolled his eyes. "Blasted into atoms." He said, with the air of addressing a dimwit.

Rose bit her lip, absolutely stunned. "But I voted for her. Oh, my God. This is sick." Her voice was loud enough to ring around the silent studio. All of the contestants glanced at her. "All of ya, you're just sick! I'm not playing this-"

"I'm not playing!" Broff whimpered, terrified, reduced to tears. "I… I can't do it." The Anne Droid turned to him, slowly. Broff leapt over his podium and tried to run for it. "I'm not… please, somebody let me…"

"You are the weakest link." The Anne Droid sounded and fired her gun, disintegrating Broff in mid-run. "Goodbye."

And the gun retreated back into her mouth. Rose was staring, mouth open, shocked and absolutely disgusted. Rodrick shuffled around, uncomfortable. The Anne Droid turned back to face the other contestants.

"Don't try to escape. It's play… or die." Rodrick explained, grimly.

* * *

Lynda and the other two housemates were gathered on the sofa in front of the television.

"Doctor, Priestess, they said _all_ the housemates must gather on the sofa. You've got to." Lynda said, urgently.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, a little soothed by the Priestess' hand on his shoulder. "Busy getting out, thanks."

The two were standing at one of the doors, the Doctor whirring away with his sonic screwdriver.

"But if you don't obey, then _all_ the housemates get punished." Lynda explained.

_My love, if our own sense of and necessity for rebellion results in harm for these humans, I doubt either of us would be able to live with the ensuing guilt. _The Priestess urged.

She dragged the Doctor over to the sofa, who grudgingly accepted her reasoning after switching off his sonic screwdriver, and sat him down, taking a seat next to him.

"Well, maybe we'll be voted out, then." The Doctor grumbled and the Priestess patted him on the arm.

The dark-skinned woman looked at him as if he were something she would like to wipe off her shoe. "How stupid are you? You two have only just joined, you're not eligible."

"Don't try anything clever or we _all_ get it in the neck." Lynda told them, warningly.

"Big Brother House. This is Davina Droid." Big Brother said.

The three housemates all clutched onto each other's hands, a look of eager anticipation plastered across their faces. Lynda hung on to the Priestess' and the young man held onto the Doctor's, who rolled his eyes.

"Crosbie, Lynda and Strood, you have all been nominated for eviction." Davina Droid answered. The housemates all looked incredibly tense. "And the eighth person to be evicted from the Big Brother house is…" There was a long, tense pause in which the Doctor looked entirely bored and kept rolling her eyes and the Priestess simply stared at the number of eye motifs around the house. "… Crosbie."

The dark-skinned woman gasped and Strood and Lynda were immediately all over her, pampering her with apologies and sympathy.

"I'm sorry! Oh, I'm sorry! Sorry!" Lynda muttered to Crosbie over and over again.

Strood wrapped an arm around Crosbie. "Oh, it should've been me, that's not fair... oh, Crosbie love..."

The Doctor leaned back in the chair, his hands behind his head. He looked over at the Priestess, who still hadn't taken her eyes off the eyes around the room.

_You're taking this entirely too seriously. There's not much we can do from in here. _The Doctor pointed out.

_No, there is something here. Something I should know. But I do not know. Why do I not know? _The Priestess wracked her brain for any memory of a vision that would render a clue of what was going on here. Self-induced irritation began to rise in her. _Something I should know. Why do I not know?_

_Look, we'll get out of here as soon as possible, we'll find Rose and Jack and we'll find out who's behind this. _The Doctor said, reassuringly.

_This is entirely too extensive of a conspiracy for any normal alien race. Whoever is behind this plot has an extensive knowledge of us. They have a great deal of technology. No standard transmat has the ability to pierce the walls of the TARDIS, however, it did. They must have a rudimentary knowledge of the TARDIS' defence systems and that would be the only way they were able to do that. _The Priestess muttered.

_Any suspects?_ The Doctor asked, curiously.

_This plot is interwoven. _The image of Rose with golden fire pouring out of her reared its ugly head, making the Priestess close her eyes in dread. _There are greater forces at work here. We must be vigilant. _

"Crosbie, you have ten seconds to make your farewells, and then we're gonna get you!" Big Brother said.

Crosbie, Lynda and Strood all leapt to their feet as soon as the words were uttered.

The Doctor couldn't be bothered, his attention was taken up, completely, by the Priestess' wandering suspicions. He reached out and pulled her down, making her fall into his lap. She leaned her head against his shoulder, practically burrowing into the comfort that his leather jacket and his embrace and his mind provided her. He smoothed back her hair and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Oh, love, don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine." He crooned into her hair, playing with the ends of her hair.

"I have cause to be worried. There is a force at work all around us that is beyond our control." The Priestess pointed out.

"We'll figure it out, love." He said, reassuringly. "We always do, don't we?"

"I can only pray that you are correct." The Priestess sighed.

The three housemates rushed to the door, making the Doctor shake his head, incredulously.

"I won't forget you." Lynda whispered to Crosbie.

"I'm sorry I stole your soap." Crosbie said, apologetically.

Lynda smiled, sadly. "Oh, I don't mind, honestly." She wrapped her arms around the other girl.

"Thanks for the food. You're a smashing cook." Strood leaned down and kissed her cheek and hugged her. "Bless you."

The doors slid open, revealing a small, narrow, gleaming white room beyond, ending in a door.

"Crosbie, please leave the Big Brother House." Big Brother ordered.

Crosbie stared into the room, apprehensively. "Bye, then… bye Lynda…" She whispered, scared, looking at each of them.

"Bye…" Lynda murmured.

Lynda and Strood caught each other's eyes and made an archway with their arms, allowing for Crosbie to walk underneath. The Doctor looked at them with disbelief over the back of the sofa.

_Why are they getting so upset about her getting evicted? _The Doctor asked the Priestess, confusedly.

_Perhaps they have formed a bond during their time in this house. I doubt they would see each other much once they leave. _The Priestess explained, only paying half-attention to the housemates.

Lynda and Strood waved to Crosbie who waved back until the doors slid close.

"I don't believe it." Lynda sounded close to tears, making the Priestess snap her eyes towards her. "Poor Crosbie…"

"It's only a game show," The Doctor reminded them from the sofa. "She'll make a fortune on the outside! Sell her story, release a record, fitness video, all of that... she'll be laughing!"

Lynda stared at him, her brow furrowed. "What d'you mean, 'on the outside'?" She asked, confusedly.

They stared at the television, seeing an image of Crosbie standing in the small, white room, trembling.

"Here we go…" Strood murmured, watching with trepidation.

Lynda and Strood dashed back to the sofa and perched on the edge, nervously. The Doctor sighed and relaxed again, the Priestess curling into him. There were a few tense moments while Crosbie stood in the room, waiting, and Lynda and Strood watched her, anxiously.

"Well, what are they waiting for? Why don't they just let her go?" The Doctor asked, incredulously.

"Stop it, it's not funny." Lynda scolded him, tearfully.

She turned back to the television, only increasing the incomprehension on the Doctor's face.

"Eviction in... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1!"

There was a bright white light that came out of nowhere and it struck Crosbie, disintegrating her in a matter of a second. The tension drained away and Lynda and Strood stared at the screen, obviously distraught. The Priestess and the Doctor stared at the screen, their eyes wide as saucers and their lips parted in shock. The Priestess' hand slid over to entwine with the Doctor's, whose fingers clutched back.

"What was that?" The Doctor asked, horrified.

"Disintegrator beam." Strood explained.

The Priestess and the Doctor looked at them, not fully understanding what they were trying to say. They looked back at them, frowning, not understand why they didn't get it.

"She's been evicted." Lynda said, slowly. There was a pause. "From life."

* * *

The Doctor paced around the Big Brother House, while the Priestess stood in a corner, staring at Lynda and Strood, warily.

"Are you _insane_? You just step right into the disintegrator? Is it that important, getting your face on the telly? Is it worth _dying_ for?" The Doctor snapped at the two.

Lynda stood up. "You're talking like we've got a choice."

The Priestess frowned and took a step forward. "Do you not have to apply?" She asked, curiously.

Strood shook his head. "Don't be so stupid. That's how they played it centuries back."

Lynda looked at the Doctor and the Priestess, frustratedly. "You get chosen whether you like it or not! Everyone on Earth is a potential contestant. The transmat beam picks you out at random. And it's non-stop. There are sixty Big Brother houses running all at once."

The colour from the Doctor's and the Priestess' faces drained away almost immediately. "How many? _Sixty_?" The Doctor asked, incredulously.

"They've had to cut back. It's not what it was." Strood muttered, dejectedly.

"It is practically a charnel house!" The Priestess growled at him, making him look away. She turned to Lynda. "And the winners? What is their prize?"

"They get to live." Lynda said, simply.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Is that it?!"

"Well, isn't that enough?!" Lynda said, frustrated.

The Doctor turned to look at the Priestess for a moment. She strode across the room.

"Rose was caught in the transmat beam. She is a contestant. We must leave here now." The Priestess said.

The Doctor nodded, a surge of pride filling him at her protectiveness over his companion. "That other contestant, Lynda with an I, she was forcibly evicted for what?"

"Damaged property…" Lynda trailed off, wondering why he wanted to know.

The Doctor smirked, exchanging a look with the Priestess. "What, like this?"

And he pointed his sonic screwdriver directly at the camera, breaking it instantly.

* * *

Jack was now dressed up in white tennis garb, swishing a racket from side to side in front of the mirror.

He halted. "No. I'm just not getting this. It just too safe, too decent. And you'd never keep it clean."

"Stage Two ready and waiting!"

Jack smirked. "Bring it on, girls!"

He stood in front of the Defabricator once again, so that it could remove his clothes. He now stood naked in front of them once more.

"And now it's time for the face-off!"

"What does that mean?" Jack asked, enthusiastically. "Do I get to compete with someone else?" He asked, playfully.

"No," The android shook her head. "Like I said… face… off!"

And she held up her arms, one with needles on the end of each of her fingers, and the other a whirring chainsaw. Jack stared at it, fear not betraying his face, only a look of mild surprise in his eyes.

"I think you'd look good with a dog's head." The other android said and snipped the enormous scissors that had replaced her forearm, viciously.

"Or maybe no head at all. That would be so _outrageous_." The first android purred.

"And we could stitch your legs to the middle of your chest."

Jack raised an eyebrow, not remotely perturbed by the threats.

"_Nothing_ is too extreme. It's to _die_ for."

"Now, hold on, ladies. I don't want to have to shoot either one of you." Jack said, warningly.

"But you're unarmed!" One of the robots protested.

"You're naked!" The other android pointed out.

Jack reached behind him and pulled out a small gun, aiming it at them.

"But... that's a Compact Laser Deluxe!"

"_Where_ were you hiding that?" The android asked, aghast.

Jack smirked. "You _really_ don't wanna know."

The android started to move towards him. "Give me that accessory-"

Before she could finish her warning, Jack fired and decimated the head of the android, and then did the same to the other android.

* * *

"You are the weakest link. Goodbye!"

Rodrick averted his eyes, and with a blast of Anne Droid's gun, Colleen was dead.

"Going to the break! Two minutes on the clock." The floor manager said. Rose looked at her, feeling tired and frustrated. "Just a reminder, we've got solar flare activity coming up in ten."

Rodrick was wiping his board clean when Rose turned to stare at him.

"Colleen was clever, she banked all our money. Why'd you vote for her?" Rose asked, confusedly.

Rodrick smirked at her. "'Cos I want to keep you in! You're stupid! You don't even know the Princess Vossaheen's surname. When it comes to the final, I want to be up against you. So that you get disintegrated, and I get a stack-load of credits. Courtesy of the Bad Wolf Corporation..."

Rose paled and reared back in shock. "What d'you mean? Who's Bad Wolf?"

Rodrick turned to her as if he couldn't believe she didn't know this. "They're in charge. They run the Game Station."

Rose frowned, feeling a sort of dread churning her stomach. "They're in charge. They run the Game Station."

Rodrick shrugged. "I dunno, it's just a name. It's like an Old Earth... nursery rhyme sort of thing, what does it matter?"

"I keep hearing those words everywhere we go. Bad Wolf." Rose murmured, almost to herself, pensively.

"_The things you've seen… the darkness… the big bad Wolf."_

"_Attention all personnel. Bad Wolf One descending."_

"_Blaidd Drwg… it means Bad Wolf."_

Rose swallowed hard. "Different times... different places like it's written all over the universe..." She whispered, her face deathly pale.

"What're you going on about?" Rodrick asked, impatiently, looking at her as if she were insane.

"If the Bad Wolf is in charge of this quiz, then... maybe I'm not here by mistake. Someone's been planning this..."

* * *

"The Doctor, the Priestess, you've broken the House Rules." The Doctor, the Priestess, Lynda and Strood sat on the sofa. "Big Brother has no choice but to evict you." The Doctor leaned over and kissed the Priestess hard on the mouth in triumph. "You have ten seconds to make your farewells, and then we're gonna get you!"

The Doctor and the Priestess leapt to their feet and rushed over to the door.

"That's more like it! Come on then, open up!" The Doctor exclaimed at the closed door.

Lynda rushed after the two. "You two are mad! It's like you _want_ to die!"

"I reckon they're plants!" Strood added. "They were only brought in to stir things up."

The door slid open and the Doctor yanked the Priestess into the white room after him.

"The Doctor, the Priestess, please leave the Big Brother house."

Strood rushed back to the sofa and leapt over the back of the couch to watch the screen, but Lynda stayed at the doorway and slid sideways with the door, anxiously, as it closed, keeping them in vision for as long as possible. When the door was finally shut, she turned to the television.

"Come on, then, disintegrate us! Come on, what're you waiting for?" The Doctor shouted, looking impatiently and expectantly up at the disintegrator.

"They are, they're mad. They're bonkers." Lynda shook her head.

"Disintegrate us!" The Priestess ordered, her hand reaching in between their bodies to take the Doctor's.

The Doctor held onto the Priestess' hand and looked up at the disintegrator, waiting and grinning.

"Eviction in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

Lynda screwed her eyes shut, but blinked one open when nothing happened. She heard the sound of power failing and looked up in surprise.

"Haha!" The Doctor laughed, gleefully and knowingly. He gripped the Priestess' shoulders and leaned down to thoroughly kiss her. "I knew it! You see?"

A blinding smile of triumph spread across the Priestess' face. "Someone _brought_ us into this game. If they wished us dead, they would have just used the transmat to transport us somewhere deadly, such as a volcano." She explained.

The Doctor nodded. "They want us alive." He turned to the door. "Maybe the security isn't as tight this end." He looked up at the camera, mockingly. "Are you following this? We're getting out!"

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the lock and the door swung open. Then, the door leading back into the House also slid open. Lynda popped her head through and the Doctor and the Priestess looked at her.

"Come with us." The Priestess said, softly.

Lynda looked back at Strood, who was kneeling on the sofa.

"We're not allowed." Strood protested.

"Stay in there, you've got a fifty-fifty chance of disintegration. Stay with us, we promise we'll get you out alive. Come on!" The Doctor urged.

"No, I can't, I can't…" Lynda's eyes shifted from side to side in her nervousness.

The Priestess smiled at her, sadly. "Lynda, you are sweet. From what we have seen of your world, do you believe anyone values sweetness? Do you believe they would vote for sweet?"

Lynda bit her lip, seeing the logic in the Priestess' argument. The Priestess held out her hand and after a moment's hesitation, she grabbed it and the three rushed through the opposite door.

* * *

A/N: Here's the first part of _Bad Wolf_. Yeah, I know, there isn't much of a conspiracy in this chapter. Just the Priestess wanting to know more about who's behind the Game Station. And all of her suspicions come back to Rose. We'll have to see how the Priestess reacts when she finds out about the Daleks. Remember… the last time she saw a Dalek, with the exception of Van Statten's bunker, she had been their captive on Davros' ship. That should be an interesting reunion. I wonder if the Priestess is the one who will end up on the Dalek's ship.

Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to leave me a review!


	16. Bad Wolf: Big Brother

Dream Weaver – Chapter 16

A/N: Ooh, now this should be an interesting episode. Let's see what happens!

Okay, so this is the last chapter I'll post before I go back to university tomorrow. I'm going to try my hardest to update every week but that only works if I write a chapter a week. I will try my hardest, but updates might be a little slower than usual. Sorry about that.

Replies to Reviews:

NicoleR85: I still think that out of all of 10's companions, Martha got the raw deal. 10 still treated Donna like she mattered, she wasn't compared to Rose the way Martha was and I think that brings up all sorts of racism issues that RTD should deal with. I mean, they finally got a black, female companion in the show and they treated her like crap. She only got a chance to stay for one season and they basically set the civil rights movement back fifty years. I think if 10 just couldn't get over Rose, he shouldn't have taken on new companions in the first place. He can't possibly justify destroying a girl's self-worth because he's missing his girlfriend. He screwed Martha over and she never got a proper apology for it ever, I think that's what makes me the most angry. The Priestess and Martha are going to have a very strong relationship because Martha will be there for the Priestess when she and the Doctor are in a bad place with their marriage. Donna and the Priestess will also be close because Donna will meet the Priestess at a particularly low point in her life. And we all know what kind of relationship the Priestess will have Rose in Season 2. The Priestess knows the Doctor quite well and she has a unique way of dealing with him. She's kind of the brains behind the operation and she just lets him think he's the smart one and she's the pretty one to satisfy his ego.

Guest: I'm hoping that was a compliment!

The Dreamer17: I just think that a lot of Time Lady stories give 10.5 over to Rose, but I think with the way they characterised him in Doctor Who, it's unlikely that 10.5 would go with Rose in my story if the actual Doctor has always been in love with the Priestess. I just think that love would continue in 10.5 after the metacrisis. I mean, they are the same person.

Guest: Unfortunately, the Priestess and the Daleks go back a long way and some of that will come out in this chapter and the next couple. There's a lot of history between them, especially with the Priestess' visions.

Warnings: Fluff, Captain Jack-esque flirting etc.

* * *

Bad Wolf: Big Brother

_The Priestess smiled at her, sadly. "Lynda, you are sweet. From what we have seen of your world, do you believe anyone values sweetness? Do you believe they would vote for sweet?"_

_Lynda bit her lip, seeing the logic in the Priestess' argument. The Priestess held out her hand and after a moment's hesitation, she grabbed it and the three rushed through the opposite door._

Once they came out of the door, they found themselves on a starling grey floor, only named 'Floor 56' by the sign on the wall.

The Priestess swallowed and looked around, her suspicion only increasing. _Now I am sure this has something to do with us._

The Doctor stared at the floor with surprise. "Hold on… We've been here before. This is Satellite Five!"

The Priestess noticed a side door on the wall and grabbed the Doctor by the wrist, pulling him in that direction. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and started to use it on the door and it slid open, the three stepping through it. He started it in on the control panel.

"There are no guards." The Priestess commented, looking around at the non-existent presence of the floor. It was dead. There was nothing to suggest that anyone was even coming around the corner.

"That makes a change." The Doctor snorted. "You'd think a big business like Satellite Five would be armed to the teeth."

They left the room again. The Doctor tested the walls with his sonic screwdriver.

"No one's called it Satellite Five in ages. It's the Game Station now. Hasn't been Satellite Five in about a hundred years." Lynda explained.

The Priestess pursed her lips, scanning the walls. "One hundred years exactly. It is the year 200100. We were on this space station before. Floor 139. Satellite Five was a news station then, broadcasting news channels. We fixed an anachronism."

"Had a bit of trouble upstairs. Nothing too serious. Easy, gave 'em a hand, home in time for tea." The Doctor said, smiling over at the Priestess.

Lynda smiled at them, sceptically. "A hundred years ago?" The Doctor placed his hand on a touch-sensitive pad to open a door, but he had no luck. "What, you two were here a hundred years ago?"

The Doctor whirred around the edges of the door with his sonic screwdriver. "Yep!"

Lynda smirked at them. "You're looking good on it…" She said, playfully.

The Doctor smirked, smugly, and turned to look at Lynda. "I moisturise."

The Priestess sighed and looked at Lynda. "We have a time machine." She explained.

Lynda nodded. "Ah."

The Doctor glared at the Priestess. "Way to take all the fun out of it." He grumbled. The sonic screwdriver finished whirring and he showed her the results.

The Priestess narrowed her eyes. "Now those are very strange readings. So many different types of energy… the space station is humming."

The Doctor nodded. "It's weird. This goes way beyond normal transmissions. What would they need all that power for?" He asked her and tried to open another door.

"I dunno." Lynda shook her head. "I think we're the first ever contestants to get outside."

The Doctor scanned the door, while the Priestess continued to look around the room, searching for something that would give her a clue to what was going on here.

She turned to Lynda. "We had two friends travelling with us. They must have been caught in the same transmat. Do you know where they would be?" She asked, the worry sneaking into her voice. Jack could handle himself, but Rose was still human and not knowledgeable when it came to alien matters, with the exception of the travelling she had done with the Doctor.

Lynda shook her head in the negative. "I dunno. They could've been allocated anywhere. There's a hundred different games."

The Doctor paused and turned to look at Lynda, giving her his full attention. "Like what?" He asked, curiously.

"Well, there's ten floors of 'Big Brother'. There's a different House behind each of those doors. And then beyond that, there's all sorts of shows. It's non-stop. There's um... 'Call My Bluff'... with real guns... 'Countdown', where you've got thirty seconds to stop the bomb going off... 'Ground Force', which is a nasty one... you get turned into compost. Erm... 'Wipeout', speaks for itself... oh! And 'Stars In Their Eyes'. Literally, stars in their eyes. If you don't sing, you get blinded."

The Doctor frowned, angrily and disappointedly. "And you watch this stuff?" He asked, incredulously.

Lynda shrugged. "Everyone does. How come you don't?"

The Doctor pursed his lips. "Never paid for our license."

Lynda's eyes widened, comically, and she stared at them. "Oh, my God!" She breathed. "You get executed for that!"

The Doctor and the Priestess smirked, simultaneously, the centuries of their relationship showing in the synchronisation of their expressions. "Let them try." They both purred at the same time.

Lynda's eyes shifted between them. "You two keep saying things that don't make sense. But who are you two though, Doctor, Priestess? Really?"

"Doesn't matter." The Doctor shook his head. And he walked away to try the next door.

Lynda scowled at him, displeased at his indifference. "Well, it does to me... I've just put my life in your hands."

The Doctor was examining the lock. The Priestess allowed him to field this question. "We're just travellers, wandering past. Believe it or not, all we're after is a quiet life." He mused.

A smile spread across the Priestess' lips. "He is telling the truth. We do not normally look for these situations." She said.

"So... if we get out of here, what're you two gonna do? Just... wander off again?" Lynda asked, hesitantly.

"Fast as we can." The Doctor answered, nonchalantly.

Lynda bit her lip, her eyes wary and worried, something that the Priestess appreciated. "So… I could come with ya." She said, hesitantly. She smiled, waiting for an answer from either of them.

The Doctor looked away from the lock and looked over at the Priestess, wondering what her reaction and answer would be. He could always read her eyes well enough, without having to resort to using their connection. He could tell from a first glance that the Priestess' admired Lynda's innocence. He could see that she wanted the young woman to join them on their travels.

The Doctor smiled at Lynda, softly. "Maybe you could."

Lynda smiled, brightly. "I wouldn't get in the way." She promised, happily.

The Priestess smiled at her, her eyes soft and warm. "We would not mind if you did. It would not be a bad idea, Lynda with a Y." She purred.

Lynda smiled, cheerily.

"But first of all, we've gotta concentrate on the getting out." The Doctor said, briskly, ending the turn of the conversation. He scanned the edges of the door.

The Priestess raised an eyebrow, noticing something on the opposite wall. "Now, I believe that looks interesting." She walked, quickly, over to the opposite end of the room and pulled down the lever that she had spotted, which illuminated huge letters on the wall.

"Your Lords and Masters." Lynda murmured, staring up at the letters.

The Doctor gazed up at the letters in wonder and confusion. It was only when the Priestess read the words 'Bad Wolf Corporation', did her stomach start to churn in discomfort and she began to feel lightheaded. Her hand reached for the Doctor, patting against his leather jacket. He, immediately, moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his side, pressing a reassuring kiss to her forehead, as her nails dug into his jacket.

* * *

Jack was attaching his Compact Laser Deluxe to the Defabricator.

"Compatible systems... just align the wave signature..." He muttered to himself. He laughed, suddenly. "Thattaboy! Got myself a gun." He picked up the Defabricator and glanced at the androids that he had just destroyed. "Well, ladies, the pleasure was all mine. Which is the only thing that matters in the end." He smirked.

And off he went, leaving the smouldering bodies of the two robots.

* * *

Jack ran out onto Floor 299, and placed his hand a pad to open the door to the lift. He observed his wrist device.

"Four hearts, that's them… which floor?" Jack wondered to himself.

He, impatiently, pressed a few buttons on the lift and the doors closed.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess and Lynda emerged onto an observation deck out of Floor 56.

"Blimey!" Lynda breathed, her hands splaying against the glass of the observation window. "I've never seen it for real before! Not... not from orbit. Planet Earth..."

The three stood before the window, observing the Earth. The whole planet was grey and smoky, an ugly replica of what it had been in the 21st century. They could only see a few patches of light here and there.

"What happened to the Earth?" The Priestess murmured, her eyes wide as she observed the decaying planet.

"Well, it's always been like that. Ever since I was born. See that there?" Lynda pointed at a specific place on the planet. "That's the Great Atlantic Smog Storm. It's been going twenty years. We get newsflashes telling us when it's safe to breathe outside."

"So, the population just sits there? Half the world's too fat, half the world's too thin, and you lot just watch telly?" The Doctor asked, incredulously.

Lynda turned to look at them, her eyes bright, not understanding why they sounded so upset. "Ten thousand channels, all beaming down from here." She said, happily.

"The Human Race. Brainless sheep. Being fed on a diet of... mind you, have they still got that programme where three people have to live with a bear?" The Doctor asked, after a moment.

"Oh, 'Bear With Me', I _love_ that one!" Lynda exclaimed, delightedly.

"And me." The Doctor grinned. "The celebrity edition where the bear got in the-"

"Got in the bath!" Lynda finished, grinning just as big as the Doctor was.

The Priestess rolled her eyes and stepped away, attracting their attention. "But, everything is wrong here." She snapped, her hands fidgeting with each other through her discomfort.

Her head was starting to ache, much as it had when Rose had saved her father from death. She had always been more sensitive to time than other Time Lords and Time Ladies. This, coupled with her suspicion due to her visions of a dead Jack and a divine Rose, made her incredibly dizzy, forcing her to lean on the Doctor for support. She _knew_ there was something here. Something she should know. She had been wracking her mind since the moment she had woken up in the Big Brother House for any possible clue in her visions that would allow her to figure out _who_ was behind this conspiracy and _what_ they had to do with it.

"_History_ is wrong here. Again." The Priestess growled, her gut-wrenching suspicion and discomfort finally getting to her. "This should be the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. I do not understand." She looked at the Doctor, her eyes dark. "The last time we were here, we made sure everything was historically correct."

"No, but that's when it first went wrong." Lynda piped in. "A hundred years ago, like you said. All the news channels, they just shut down overnight."

The Doctor took a step forward in Lynda's direction, his eyes shuttering over. "But that was us. We did that."

"There was nothing left in their place." Lynda tried to explain what had happened in the aftermath. "No information. The whole planet just froze. The government, the economy, they collapsed... that was the start of it. One hundred years of hell." She finished, her eyes falling to the floor.

"Oh, my…" The Doctor stared at the destroyed planet, his face pale. His hand tightened around the Priestess', as she leaned into him for support. She pressed a kiss to his jawline. "We made this world." He whispered, warming inside when he felt the Priestess sink into his mind, filling his mind with shades of shimmery gold and stormy blue, much like the colours of the Vortex and the Untempered Schism, the Priestess' signature colours.

The Vortex and the Untempered Schism had had too much of an effect on the Priestess, as a child, for them to not affect her as an adult. She had always felt a kinship with their TARDIS and had an overdeveloped sense of Time. Her eyes during a vision. They chilled his blood, but they warmed his mind. They were so comforting, yet they were horrifying. They were bright gold and blazing like fire and saw into him in a way that encompassed both the Priestess' ability and Time's ability. If he was Time's Champion, she was Time's Prophet. That was what their TARDIS called her on occasion. The Academy had a different name for the Priestess. They named her the Dream Child. The universe knew her as the Lady of Visions.

But he knew the Annika behind the titles. He knew the eight-year-old girl who had helped him to his feet and took him to the infirmary, after he had fallen at her feet. He knew the forty-seven year old, who had sabotaged his laboratory week after week, after thinking that he was throwing her over for a newer model, vicious in her jealousy. He knew the fifty-year-old who had snuck away from her father with him and had become his Bondmate without anyone ever knowing. He knew the ninety-seven year old, who had given birth to their three children, despite all the jeers from the other Time Lords. He knew the one-hundred and ninety-seven year old who had allowed him to take their granddaughter with them on his travels around the universe. And he knew the nine-hundred year old, who had not lost an iota of faith in him in all that time, who had trusted him beyond anyone and everyone in the universe, bar their own children. He knew every face, every expression, every thought she had ever had, better than she knew herself.

That was how he knew, when he looked at the worried look in her eyes now, that what they had found themselves in was going to end bad for all of them.

* * *

Agorax screamed as the disintegrator beam shot him until there was nothing left but a smouldering pile of dust. The gun retreated back into Anne Droid's mouth and the light behind Agorax's name on his podium went out.

"That leaves Rose and Rodrick. You're going head-to-head... let's play 'The Weakest Link'."

Rodrick smirked and addressed Rose without looking at her. "Right, that's the end of tactical voting... you're on your own now."

* * *

"Hey, handsome, gorgeous! Good to see ya! Any sign of Rose?" Jack asked the Doctor, while he wrapped the Priestess up in a tight embrace, his large hands splayed across the small of her back, while the Priestess gripped onto his broad shoulders.

"Can't you track her down?" The Doctor asked, impatiently, a tinge of green slipping through the bond towards the Priestess, making her roll her eyes.

"She must still be inside the games. All the rooms are shielded." Jack explained.

The Priestess moved over to the computer. "If we are able to infiltrate this computer… she must be in this space station, somewhere."

"Well, you'd better hurry up. These games don't have a happy ending." Jack said, as light as he was able to.

"You think we don't know that?" The Doctor snapped.

The Priestess placed a hand on his arm, instantly calming him down. Jack backed down and gave the Priestess his wrist-device.

"There you go." The Priestess took it off Jack. "Patch that in. It's programmed to find her."

"Thank you." The Priestess said, softly, and gave him an apologetic look.

Jack gave her a small smile and touched her hand, telling her that he didn't mind. He turned to Lynda and shook her outstretched hand. "Hey there!" He gave the young woman a charming grin.

"Hello!" Lynda replied, shyly.

Jack smirked. "Captain Jack Harkness."

"Would you mind not philandering at this point in time?" The Priestess asked, sarcastically.

"I was just saying hello!" Jack protested, indignantly.

The Doctor snorted. "For you, that's flirting."

Lynda smiled, coyly. "I'm not complaining."

Jack took her hand in his and raised it to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Which is a good idea."

"Oh!" Lynda laughed.

The Priestess frowned at the Doctor. "Why do you never do that to me?" She asked, curiously.

The Doctor didn't reply to her question. If anything, his glare only turned icier towards Jack.

The system beeped in protest and the Priestess let out a string of curses in High Gallifreyan that would have made Jack blush if he could have understood it.

"Oi!" The Doctor protested, surprised. It wasn't every day that he heard the Priestess swear like that.

"Oh, hush," The Priestess growled, her eyes scanning the screen, frantically. "It is not compatible. This deranged system does not make any sense." She snapped. She clucked her tongue and threw the wrist device to Lynda, who caught it with a bewildered look. She motioned for the Doctor and Jack to move the computer and watched as the Doctor wrenched away the front of the computer with Jack's help. She took the wrist-device from Lynda again. "This space station _should_ be a basic broadcaster." She explained, trying to patch it in. "For some, insane reason, the systems are twice as complicated, instead. The space station is broadcasting more than mere television. There is something else being transmitted." She said, darkly.

"I love it when you talk technical." Jack flirted, playfully, grinning when he saw the Priestess crack a smile. He sobered, when he saw the Doctor take a step forward, looking as though he was about to hit him. He had the slightest crush on all three of his friends, just a bit more on the Priestess and the Doctor, which he owed to his time as a Time Agent. But he also realised that he felt more strongly for the Priestess, more like a sister. She was protective and she cared for him in a way that no one else had in a very long time. And he would repay that with his life, if need be. He cleared his throat. "Like what?"

The Priestess' hands were moving over the computer in a flurry. "I cannot say. Bad Wolf. Bad Wolf. What could it possibly mean? Some type of trap that needs Rose? Or us? We would be the more likely targets. But Rose. Why Rose?"

"Priestess?" The Doctor called out, worriedly. He could see that her eyes were glazing over with the ferocity of her thoughts. They were vividly scanning the computer for any sign of the mastermind behind the conspiracy. "'Tess?" He called out again. "You okay?"

Her eyes snapped to him, gazing at him, intently. "During my visions, have I spoken during them?" She asked.

"'Visions'? As in plural? You've had more than one?" The Doctor tensed.

"Wait, visions?" Jack looked in between the Doctor and the Priestess. "You have visions?" He asked, sceptically. "Like a psychic?"

"I will explain later." The Priestess told him. She turned to the Doctor. "Yes, I have had two since you found me again." The Priestess said, impatiently. "Any one of those times, have I spoken something? A prophecy, perhaps? Something that would indicate what Bad Wolf is?"

The Doctor looked thoughtful. "The first time you had a vision. You said: She will create herself. She will swallow the whole of Time and Time will raise her in the image she must be to save the Warrior and the Prophet. She will turn everything into dust. She will bring life and death to all and she will burn. She is the Bad Wolf."

"Rose." The Priestess murmured to herself, unbeknownst to the others. "Someone has been manipulating us to bring us to this precise moment, for some, inexplicable reason." _Of course, it does not have to be the same person. Bad Wolf and the being behind this conspiracy may be two different problems altogether. Which mean… there is a considerable danger ahead of us._

* * *

"Rose, in geography, the Grand Central Ravine is named after which Ancient Britain City?"

The scoreboard showed that Rodrick already had one tick, whereas this was Rose's first question.

"Is it York?" Rose answered, hesitantly.

"No, the correct answer is Sheffield."

* * *

The wrist-device finally beeped and the Priestess scanned it, hurriedly.

"She is on Floor 407." The Priestess explained.

Lynda gasped with horror. "Oh, my God! She's with the Anne Droid! You've gotta get her out of there!" She exclaimed, frantically.

* * *

"Rodrick, in literature, the author of 'Lucky' was Jackie who?"

Rodrick's eyes shifted from side to side, betraying that he did not know the correct answer. "Stewart." He guessed.

"No, the correct answer is Collins." A cross appeared on Rodrick's scoreboard. "Rose, the oldest inhabitant of the Isop Galaxy is the Face of what?"

"Boe!" Rose exclaimed, her eyes going wide. "The Face of Boe!"

There was a few seconds of silence in which the Anne Droid and Rodrick stared at her.

"That is the correct answer." The android said after a few seconds.

Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Jack and Lynda were in the lift, the Doctor impatiently watching the numbers racing up.

"Come on… come on…!" The Doctor snapped, urgently.

* * *

"Rodrick, in history, who was the President of the Red Velvets?"

"Hoshbin Frane." Rodrick answered, confidently.

"That is the correct answer." The Anne Droid turned her head, sharply, to Rose. "Rose, in food, the dish Gaffabeque originated on which planet?"

"Um…" Rose's eyes closed, showing that she had no clue whatsoever. "Is it…" The Anne Droid stared at Rose and Rose stared back, at a loss. "… Mars?" She guessed, weakly.

"Nope, the correct answer is Lucifer." The Anne Droid said.

Rose received a cross on her scoreboard and the nasty pleasure in Rodrick's eyes was evident.

* * *

The lift raced upwards. The counter rose, rapidly, and the Doctor's eyes were on it, very intense.

* * *

"Rodrick, which measurement of length is said to have been defined by the Emperor Jate as the distance from his nose to his fingertip?"

Rose glanced at Rodrick, realising that he didn't know the answer.

"Would that be a goffle?" Rodrick said, hesitantly.

"No. The correct answer is a paab."

Rodrick received a cross on his scoreboard.

"Rose, in fashion, Stella Pok Baint is famous for what?"

"Shoes." Rose said, firmly, knowing that she was completely wrong.

"No. The correct answer is hats." The Anne Droid said.

Rodrick was still one ahead of Rose and there was only one more question left for each of them.

* * *

The Doctor, the Priestess, Jack and Lynda belted out the lift onto Floor 407. The Anne Droid's voice rang out over the floor.

"Rodrick, in physics, who discovered the Fifteen-Dash-Ten Barric Fields?"

"Game Room Six, which door is it?" The Priestess shouted, her hair whipping from side to side, as she searched for some sort of sign.

"Over here." Lynda exclaimed and motioned them over.

"San… Hazeldine."

"No."

They reached the door and the Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver.

"… the correct answer is San Chen."

"Stand back, let me blast it open." Jack ordered.

"You cannot," The Priestess said, impatiently. "It is made of Hydra Combinatioin."

The Doctor pressed the sonic screwdriver to the touch-sensitive pad next to the door.

* * *

"Rose, in history, which Icelandic city hosted Murder Spree Twenty?" The Anne Droid asked.

Rose stared at the Anne Droid, who stared right back at her. Rodrick glanced at Rose, wondering why she wasn't answering. There was a tense silence.

"Reykjavik…" Rose said, weakly.

Rodrick looked back at the Anne Droid, anxiously. There was a few seconds of pause, as everyone hitched a breath, waiting for the result.

"No, the correct answer is Pola Ventura."

Rose received a cross. The game was finished and Rodrick was one point ahead of Rose. The theme music cued and an ecstatic smile spread across Rodrick's face.

"Oh, my God! I've done it!" Rodrick shouted. He looked at Rose, without a trace of pity, practically gloating. "You've lost!"

* * *

The sonic screwdriver whirred.

"Come on, come on, come on…" The Doctor muttered to himself in his desperation.

* * *

"But I'm not meant to be here." Rose shouted, terrified. "I need to find the Doctor, and the Priestess, they've got to be here somewhere, he's always here! He wouldn't just leave me!"

The Anne Droid ignored her and began to speak over her. "Rodrick, you are the strongest link, you will be transported home with one thousand six hundred credits."

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much." Rodrick said, gleefully.

Rose almost leapt over her podium. "This game is illegal! I'm telling you to stop!" Rose shouted, strongly but scared.

Suddenly, everyone turned to look as the Doctor, the Priestess, Jack and Lynda barged in through the door, which was just too far away.

"Rose!" The Priestess shouted, her eyes wild.

"Rose, you leave this life with nothing-"

"Stop this game!" Jack yelled.

"I order you to stop this game!" The Doctor roared.

"We're live on air!" The floor manager protested.

The Doctor and the Priestess began to run across the wide expanse of floor as fast as they could, the Priestess just the slightest bit ahead of the Doctor. Rose began to rush in their direction, shoving the podium out of the way, haphazardly.

"You are the weakest link." The Anne Droid sounded.

"Look out for the Anne Droid, it's armed!" Rose screamed in warning.

She was running and they were running. By luck, the Priestess managed to reach her, throwing her arms around her and pulling Rose behind her, so that she could act as a shield. She tensed, knowing that she would have to do this. She had her suspicions and Rose was too close for her to completely shove her out of the way. She knew this couldn't be the end. So many unanswered questions still remained. There was something beyond this disintegrator beam. If it were even an actual disintegrator beam. She would just have to test it out.

The Anne Droid turned her head and her jaw dropped open. A bright white light shot out of the disintegrator and hit the Priestess squarely in the chest. And without a sound, except for Rose's scream, the Priestess and Rose were gone, mere feet away from the Doctor, whose arms were outstretched. Jack took off towards the set, raging, his eyes dark with anger and his hands thrumming with fury and grief.

"What the hell did you do to them?" Jack roared, furiously.

The Doctor couldn't do much other than crouch down beside the pile of dust that had been the Priestess and Rose. His Priestess. And she was gone. His shoulders slumped and he felt cold. Colder than he had ever felt before, except for when he had thought she had died in the war. Or devoured by the Reaper. But she was dead. And he had watched it happen in front of him for the umpteenth time. For some reason, whenever he watched her die, he was always within a few feet of her. And she had died for Rose. That was his Dream Girl. She loved like he had never known anyone else to love. He, desperately, searched for her mind, feeling the icy loneliness like a punch in the stomach. She had been so close. He hurt everywhere. Muscles, head, heart, stomach, veins, blood, everywhere. He felt as if someone had ripped into him with an ice-pick and had dug into him and pulled out everything of consequence. And there wasn't much he could do about it.

The Doctor, simply, stared at the pile of dust on the floor, his face contorted in agony, as his mind felt emptier than ever. The voices in the background were utterly meaningless to him. He picked up a sliver of the dust in between his fingers, feeling it. He was just staring at it, broken and hollowed out.

Jack brandished his gun at the floor manager and Rodrick. "Back off!" He shouted.

"I need security and I need it here right now! It's this lot…" The floor manager trailed off into her microphone.

A security guard appeared out of nowhere behind the Doctor.

"Don't you touch him! Leave him alone!" Jack roared.

The security guard pulled the Doctor to his feet and aimed a gun to his head. However, the Doctor had lost the will to resist, seeing no need to, just allowing the security guard to do whatever he wanted.

"You killed them! Your stupid freaking game show killed them." Jack barked at the floor manager, while his hands were being tied.

His voice was distant to the Doctor. He was still staring at the pile of ashes, unblinkingly, while his hands were tied behind his back. His eyes were empty, no emotion but the tears glistening in his eyes.

"Sir, I'm arresting you under Private Legislation Sixteen of the Game Station Syndicate." The security guard explained in his ear.

His voice faded away as the Doctor burrowed deep inside his mind.

* * *

The Doctor was slammed roughly against a gate as he was searched. The Doctor was completely unresisting, past caring. The sonic screwdriver was wrenched from his pocket. The Doctor was turned, roughly, back to face the security guard, who brandished it in his face.

"Can you tell us the purpose of this device, sir?" The security guard asked, brusquely.

There was no response. The Doctor didn't even want to _look_ at it.

* * *

Jack, the Doctor and Lynda sat on a bench in a prison cell as they were being interrogated.

"Can you tell us how you got on board?" The security guard asked.

Lynda sighed. "Just leave him alone-"

The security guard grabbed her chin, silencing her, immediately. "I'm asking _him_." He released the grip he had on her and turned to the Doctor. "Sir? Can you tell us who you are?"

* * *

The Doctor, Jack and Lynda were back in the cell, after having their prison photos taken.

"You will be taken from this place to the Lunar Penal Colony, there to be held without trial, you may not appeal against this sentence." The security guard explained. Neither Jack or the Doctor moved or made any acknowledgement to this statement, but Lynda shifted, uncomfortably. "Is that understood?" He asked, incredulously.

There was no response. The security guard went over to the gate and opened it.

"Let's do it." The Doctor muttered to Jack.

All three of them leapt to their feet. Jack punched and kicked his way through the gate. He tossed one guard aside, the Doctor throwing another, easily, against the wall, knocking him out in one strike. They all grabbed the weapons the security guard had abandoned and left, ignoring the alarm that blared after their exit.

* * *

Jack, Lynda and the Doctor piled into the lift.

"Floor 500." He growled.

The Doctor released the safety hatch on the Defabricator he was holding. His eyes were dark and his face set in stone, promising hell to whoever was behind this. The lift zoomed upwards.

And the lift door opened. All the staff turned around, and the Doctor, Jack and Lynda all strode out, armed to the teeth.

"Okay! Move away from the desk! Nobody try anything clever. Everybody clears!" Jack said, coldly.

The staff scattered to the sides of the room, as the Doctor strode towards the Controller as though he had tunnel vision. His eyes were locked onto the young girl strung up to wires in front of him.

"Stand to the sides and _stay_ there." Jack ordered.

The Doctor brandished his gun at the woman in front of him. "Who's in charge of this place?" He snapped.

"... 18... 19... 20..."

"This Satellite's more than a Game Station." He growled.

"79…"

"Who killed the Priestess?" The Doctor snarled.

"All staff are reminded that solar flares-"

"I want an answer!" He shouted.

"… in delta point one."

"She can't reply." One of the male programmers took a step forward, hesitantly.

The Doctor, abruptly, swung the gun around to the staff, making all of them flinch back.

"Don't shoot!" The programmer shouted, recoiling away from him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. _Honestly, humans. The stupidity. _"Oh, don't be so thick. Like I was ever gonna shoot." He said, scathingly. And, he tossed the defabricator to the programmer. "Captain, we've got more guards on their way up. Secure the exits." He ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

The Doctor turned back to the programmer who had just spoken. "You… what were you saying?"

"But…" The programmer eyed him with confusion. "I've got your gun." He pointed out.

The Doctor rolled his eyes again. "Okay, so shoot me. Why can't she answer?"

"She's um…" The programmer paused, completely distracted by the gun he was holding. "Can I put this down?" He asked the Doctor, hesitantly.

"If you want, just hurry up." The Doctor snapped, impatiently. He could feel his skin itching, desperately.

"Thanks." The programmer put the gun down. "Sorry. Um... the Controller is linked to the transmissions. The entire output goes through her brain, you're not a member of staff so she doesn't recognize your existence."

The Doctor looked up at her, an unreadable look in his eyes. "What's her name?" He asked, softly.

"I don't know. She was installed when she was five years old. That's the only life she's ever known."

"Door's sealed. We should be safe for about ten minutes." Jack called over.

"Keep an eye on 'em." The Doctor ordered Jack.

"But that stuff you were saying about something going on with the Game Station, I think you're right."

Jack's device beeped and he looked around, confusedly.

"Unauthorized transmats... it's been going on for years." The programmer explained.

"Show me." The Doctor ordered.

Captain Jack placed his hand on the door to what seemed to be Archive Six.

"You're not allowed in there! Archive Six is out of bounds!" A female programmer yelled at him, startling him, slightly.

Jack snorted and held up his two guns. "Do I look like an out-of-bounds sort of guy?"

He placed his hand on the pad and the door opened. He smiled, widely, when he saw that, in the middle of the room, there was the TARDIS. He fit his key into the lock and entered.

The TARDIS was humming away, a comforting, familiar sound. Jack had the errant thought that if the TARDIS knew that the Priestess was dead, she wouldn't be making that sound. He looked around. Slung, casually, over the handrail just inside the door was one of Rose's jackets. He paused, placing his hand on it, briefly, before moving onto the console. He checked the monitor and leaned closer to it, clearly puzzled.

"What the hell…" He breathed.

* * *

"Solar-flare activity at delta point zero..."

"If you're not holding us hostage, then open the door and let us out. The staff are terrified." The female programmer told the Doctor, impatiently.

The Doctor snorted. "That's the same staff who execute hundreds of contestants every day-"

"That's not our fault, we're just doing our jobs." The female programmer said, calmly.

"And with that sentence, you just lost the right to even talk to me. Now back off." The Doctor growled, his disdain and disgust for them showing in his rising voice.

Lynda flinched away and the female programmer stared at him. One of the screens went to static and the lights flickered off, the sound of power winding down ringing through the air.

"That's just the solar-flares." The male programmer explained at the Doctor's blank look. "They interfere with the broadcast signal, so this place automatically powers down. Planet Earth gets a few repeats. It's all quite normal."

"Doctor…" The Controller began, quietly.

"Doctor?" The female programmer frowned, looking up at the Controller.

The Doctor hadn't heard the Controller's softly-spoken word and was much too irritated at the female programmer to listen.

"Whatever it is, you can wait." He snapped.

The female programmer rolled her eyes, ignoring his tone. "I think she wants you." She said, pointedly.

The Doctor spun around to look at the Controller at the other end of the room.

"Doctor…" The Controller repeated.

The Doctor hurried over to stand right in front of her. She was still staring straight ahead, her eyes glazed over in milky white.

"Doctor...? Where's the Doctor?" The Controller called out, her voice slightly stronger.

"I'm here."

"Can't see. I'm blind. So blind. All my life, blind. All I can see is numbers, but I saw you."

The Doctor frowned. "What do you want?"

"Solar-flares hiding me. They can't hear me, my-my masters, they always listen but they can't hear me now. The sun... the sun is so bright..."

The Doctor glared up at her. "Who are your masters?" He asked, dangerously, _needing_ to know the answer. He needed to know who had killed the Priestess and Rose.

"They wired my head, their name is forbidden. They control my thoughts, my masters... my masters, I had to be careful. They monitor the transmissions but they don't watch the programmes. I could hide you inside the games."

Everyone was listening to her, intently.

"My wife and my friend died in your games." The Doctor growled, coldly.

"Doesn't matter."

"Don't you _dare_ tell me that." He snapped.

"They've been hiding. My masters, hiding in the dark space, watching and shaping the Earth... so, so, so many years... they've always been there. Guiding humanity, hundreds and hundred of years-"

"Who are they?" The Doctor snarled.

"They wait. They plan and grow in numbers, they're strong now. So strong, my masters-"

"Who are they?" The Doctor asked again, persistently.

The Controller suddenly looked at him. "But they speak of you. My masters, they fear the Doctor. And his Bondmate, the Priestess."

The Doctor stepped forward. "Tell me! Who are they?"

But at that moment, the Controller gasped. The power flickered on and she started to count all over again.

"20... 21... 22..."

The Doctor turned to the male programmer. "When's the next solar-flare?"

"Two years time."

The Doctor snorted. "Fat lot of good that is."

Jack emerged from Archive Six. "Found the TARDIS!" He said, happily.

The Doctor scowled. "We're not leaving now."

"No. But the TARDIS worked it out." Jack shoved the male programmer out of his chair. "You'll wanna watch this." The Doctor turned around to watch. "Lynda, could you stand over there for me please?" He indicated the location.

"I-I just wanna go home." She said, hesitantly.

Jack fixed a smile on his face, despite his impatience. "It'll only take a second. Could you stand in that spot, quick as you can?" Lynda complied and stood in an empty bit of floor. "Everybody watching? Okay... three, two, one-"

He pressed a button and a disintegrator beam shot down from the ceiling and hit Lynda. There was nothing left but a billow of smoke.

"But you killed her!" The Doctor exclaimed, his face a picture of shock.

"Oh, d'you think?" Jack smirked, smugly. He pressed the button again and Lynda appeared next to the Doctor, slightly dazed but completely unharmed.

"… What the hell was that?" Lynda asked, hurriedly.

The Doctor looked at Jack for an explanation.

"It's a transmat beam. Not a disintegrator, a secondary transmat system." Jack explained. The Doctor's eyes widened as he realised what Jack was trying to tell him, his eyes lighting up. Jack started to walk in his direction. "People don't get killed in the games! They get transported across space! Doctor, the Priestess and Rose are still alive!"

The Doctor laughed with blinding relief and the two men threw their arms around each other, grinning, madly. And then, a thought occurred to the Doctor.

_The whole time, she knew. She saved Rose and got caught in the blast on purpose._

* * *

The Priestess and Rose were lying on the floor, unconscious. The Priestess was the first to stir, pulling herself to her feet and Rose as well, once the young girl began to wake up. She looked around and she paled, resisting the urge to scream, her fists clenching as she heard the ominous and tell-tale humming. Her hearts dropped into her stomach and she felt as if she would be nauseous. She pulled Rose behind her, protectively.

"It can't be…" Rose breathed.

"It is." The Priestess said, grimly, her eyes scanning all of them, wildly.

She shoved them both backwards, attempting to press them against the wall, as one started to glide towards them.

"You should be dead. I watched you die." The Priestess muttered.

They back the two against the wall. The Priestess attempted to edge sideways, but she was stopped by a plunger shooting out.

* * *

The Doctor dashed from console to console. "They're out there somewhere." _Come on, come on, I can find her. I know I can. Come on, 'Nika._

"Doctor!" The Controller shouted, suddenly. It sounded as if it were causing her physical pain to break away from the numbers and communicate with the Doctor, but, determined, she carried on. "Co-ordinates five point six point one-"

The Doctor started to type them in, frantically. "Don't! The solar flare's gone, they'll hear you!"

The Controller cried out with pain. "Point four three four. No, my masters, no! I defy you! Stigma seven seven-"

She screamed and there was a bolt of lightning. The Doctor looked up and the wires she was attached to fell away, empty. There was nothing left but dust.

"They took her." The Doctor said, grimly.

* * *

Jack was sitting at one of the computer terminals, the others gathered around him.

"Look, use that." The male programmer handed Jack a disk. "It might contain the final numbers. I kept a log of all the unscheduled transmissions."

Jack peered up at him, interestedly. "Nice… thanks…" He held out his hand, eyeing him in an entirely non-platonic manner, his eyes raking over the programmer's body in a decadent manner. "Captain Jack Harkness, by the way…"

The male programmer shook his head, his face a little flushed by the attention. "I'm Davitch Pavale."

"Nice to meet you, Davitch Pavale…" Jack said, flirtatiously.

The Doctor scowled and rolled his eyes. _And 'Nika finds this guy interesting? _"There's a time and place. And it's not now." He said, sharply.

"Are you saying this entire set-up's been a disguise all along?" The female programmer asked, incredulously.

The Doctor nodded. "Going way back. Installing the Jagrafess a hundred years ago. Someone's been playing a long game. Controlling the Human Race from behind the scenes for generations."

Jack handed the Doctor a small device. "Click on this." The Doctor took it, pointed it upwards, and clicked. An image of an empty expanse of space materialised above their heads. "The transmat delivered to that point." He gestured. "Right on the edge of the solar system."

"There's nothing there." The female programmer pointed out.

The Doctor frowned, intently. The itching was beginning to become unbearable. All he could hear was _she's alive my Bondmate get her back get her back now. _"It looks like nothing. 'Cause that's what this satellite does. Underneath the transmission, there's another signal..."

"Doing what?" The male programmer asked, confusedly.

"Hiding whatever's out there. Hiding it from sonar, radar, scanner..." They all stared up at the blank expanse of space. "There's something sitting right on top of Planet Earth... but it's completely invisible." Lynda chewed on her lip. "If I cancel the signal..."

He pressed a few buttons, and when he looked back at the screen, the expanse of space was no longer empty. Right in front of them was a disk-like spaceship, revolving slowly. The Doctor stared at it and his shoulders slumped in pain and defeat.

_Oh, no._

"That's impossible. I know those ships… they were destroyed." Jack murmured, his fists clutching onto the edge of the console.

"Obviously, they survived." The Doctor murmured, his voice hushed.

"Who did? Who are they?" Lynda asked, looking at the Doctor and Jack, confusedly.

"Two hundred ships. More than two thousand on board each one. That's just about half a million of them." The Doctor whispered, fearfully. _And she's on one of them. Oh, Omega, fuck, she'll die on one of them._

"Half a million of what?" The question came from the male programmer this time.

"Daleks." The Doctor said, coldly.

* * *

A Dalek entered an area on the spaceship, where several others were gathered.

"Alert! Alert! We are detected!"

"It is the Doctor! He has located us!"

The Priestess exhaled, the feeling of relief softening her, slightly. She knew the Doctor would find them. There was nothing in the universe that would stop him from getting her back. She chanced a look at Rose, who was huddled against the foot of the wall, staring around at all of the Daleks, her eyes wide, as she stood as a protective wall.

"Priestess, what are we going to do?" Rose whispered, terrified.

"Peace, Rose. The Doctor will find us." The Priestess murmured, calmly. "And I am here. As long as I am alive, the Daleks will not touch you, I swear."

Rose gripped onto the back of the Priestess' dark blue ruffle dress, digging her nails in. "Thanks for making sure I didn't come here alone." She whispered, hoping that the Daleks wouldn't hear them.

"I thought that your death did not satisfy all of the unanswered questions." The Priestess explained, quietly. "It was most likely not meant to be a death, so I took the brunt of the disintegrator blast. I apologise, I should have pushed you away before the beam hit me."

"It's okay. I'm glad you're here with me. Plus, I doubt the Doctor would've gotten to me as quick if you weren't there." Rose told her.

"Open communications channel!" One of the Daleks screeched.

"Rose, you do not say a word to them, remember that." The Priestess ordered, her voice sharp, as she stared at the Daleks with a look of wild anger, even though a blank mask adorned her face.

Rose had never seen that look in the Priestess' eyes before.

Another Dalek swivelled around to face the Priestess and Rose, its eyestalk zoning in on Rose's crouched form.

"The female will stand. Stand!"

Rose stood and held onto the Priestess' hand, who clutched onto it, comfortingly. The Dalek looked up and an image materialised in mid-air. The Daleks and the Priestess and Rose could see the Doctor, Jack, Lynda and two strangers seated at a computer, while all the Doctor could see was his Bondmate, alive and well. His hearts jumped into his throat and his fists clenched, desperately.

* * *

The Doctor was grim and desperate, eyeing the three Daleks flanking Rose and the Priestess with distaste.

"I will talk to the Doctor." One of the Daleks shouted.

"Oh, will you? That's nice. Hello!" The Doctor waved at them, mockingly, his face a picture of controlled hatred, his fake grin fading, rapidly.

"The Dalek Stratagem nears completion. The Fleet is almost ready. You will not intervene." The Dalek ordered.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Why's that then?"

"We have your associates. You will obey or they will be exterminated."

And it was with blinding humour and relief that the Doctor realised that the Daleks didn't know who the Priestess was. The Priestess looked up at the screen, unbeknownst to the Daleks, and winked at him, playfully.

_Oh, you naughty little thing. You will be punished for this._

"No." He said, calmly.

In one motion, Jack, Lynda, the male programmer and the female programmer jerked their heads in his direction, staring at him, incredulously. Rose stared as well, her mouth slightly open in shock and fear.

"What's he doing?" Rose muttered to the Priestess.

"Hush, Rose. The Doctor has a plan and it is best we follow it." The Priestess said, reassuringly.

The Dalek looked at the Doctor, clearly not have anticipated this answer. "Explain yourself." It ordered.

"I said 'no'." The Doctor snapped.

"What is the meaning of this negative?"

"It means 'no'." He growled, his eyes never leaving the Priestess'. "You're all a bunch of morons. You don't even know who you've trapped up there with you." The Daleks swung around and stared at the Priestess and Rose with uncomprehending eyes. "You all know who she is. Look carefully."

The Daleks moved closer to the Priestess, but she remained calm, not betraying a thing, continuing to force her hearts to beat one at a time. The Dalek at the forefront turned to face the Doctor again.

"It does not matter. They will be destroyed."

"No!" The Doctor stood up, passionately. "'Cos this is what _I'm_ gonna do, I'm gonna rescue 'em." The Priestess watched him, naked pride showing in her eyes. The others glanced at him with awe. "I'm gonna save them from the middle of the Dalek Fleet, and then I'm gonna save the Earth, and then just to finish off, I'm gonna wipe every last _stinking_ Dalek outta the sky!" He crowed, viciously.

"But you have no weapons! No defences! No plan!"

The Doctor grinned, smugly. "But I've got her." He stared right at the Priestess, silently asking her if it was okay that he break her secret. "The one in the front… she's… the Priestess." He said, proudly. _My Priestess._

All of the Daleks recoiled, sliding away from their two captives. Rose, Jack, Lynda and the programmers watched in shock as the Daleks wheeled as far away from her as possible, wondering what it was about this woman that made the Daleks fear her so much.

The Doctor chuckled. "And you're stupid enough to have trapped her there with you. You are aware what she did the last time she encountered you, right? And the two of us together?" The Doctor whistled, a dark smile on his face. "Doesn't that just scare you to death?" He turned, slightly, looking the Priestess in the eye, but addressing Rose as well. "Priestess? Rose?"

"Yes, Doctor?" The Priestess called out, her eyes wild with love and faith.

"I'm coming to get you. I promise." He swore, his eyes searing into the Priestess'.

He clicked the device and the communication line closed.

* * *

"The Doctor is initiating hostile action!"

"The Stratagem must advance. Begin the invasion of Earth!"

All of the Daleks spun around, wildly. Rose gasped, but the Daleks took no notice of her. The Priestess moved herself and Rose out of their way.

"The Doctor will be exterminated!" A Dalek screeched, making the Priestess wince.

"Protect the Priestess! He will come for her!" Another Dalek screeched.

"Exterminate!"

The entire spaceship was filled with thousands of Daleks screeching 'Exterminate' in unison. Rose looked around in terror at the huge, insane army, while the Priestess pursed her lips, staring at them with unfathomable eyes.

"Priestess, what're we gonna do?" Rose asked, horrified by what she was seeing before her.

The Priestess let out a breath. "We must wait."

* * *

A/N: Whew! The first part of the finale is over! I hope you all liked my rendition of _Bad Wolf_. I made it so that both the Priestess and Rose were caught in the beam, because the Priestess thought that it would be too easy for Rose to die there. She thought there was something else going on, so she also got blasted. I wonder what the Priestess did or what she is that makes the Daleks so afraid of her. We may get an answer in the next chapter, for all you know. We did get an insight into what the visions are all about, as well as the Doctor's relationship with the Priestess. They have an interesting history, don't they ;)

Hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!


	17. The Parting of the Ways: Caligula

Dream Weaver – Chapter 17

_**A/N**_: HA! We're almost nearing the end of the story! Just this one and the next one and it's over! I just thought I'd update because I'm starting a new semester of university tomorrow and this chapter marks the occasion! I know it's been like months since I updated this story and I am so sorry about that. I've kind of lost inspiration for Doctor Who, but I promise I will stick through and get this story done. I've finished the first part, but the second part is still in progress. But I promise to keep working on everything and updating whenever I finish a chapter. This chapter has Jack's goodbye scene and Rose's goodbye scene. Hope you enjoy!

_**Replies to Reviews**_:

_the stargate time traveller_: Thank you so much! And yeah, I think they screwed the pooch on Martha and the Doctor. They had so much scope to form a relationship between the Doctor and a new sort of companion and they ended up using her as fodder for the Doctor/Rose relationship, which is so pathetic and twisted, considering that Martha was the POC character on the show to be a companion. So, yeah, it makes him look racist and so much for a Time Lord, huh? When I write Martha's adventures in this story, she'll definitely have the Priestess on her side and the Doctor will have to go out of his way to treat Martha better if only to get in the Priestess' good graces. I think Rose is being deliberately oblivious at this point. She doesn't want to dig too deep into the Priestess because she's worried about what she'll find out. She's content to live in blissful ignorance, but she'll understand that there's something else to the Priestess that makes her a bit special. Trust me, I'm just as anti-Rose as you. I liked her in the first season but all the romance with the Doctor just ruined her character and I always found her self-righteous and incredibly catty when she got jealous. She reminded me of all those Mean Girls in high school who go out of their way to put people (especially girls) down when they're threatened. The Priestess has an interesting relationship with the Daleks. Trust me, they're just as scared of her as they are of the Doctor. Yep. There will be a few passing comments as to the Priestess being the Doctor's Bondmate.

_NicoleR85_: I'm so glad you liked it! It will be awhile before Rose finds out about the Priestess and the Doctor, only because I need Rose to make certain decisions and she won't do that if she doesn't know about the Priestess and the Doctor.

_The Dreamer17_: They're so in sync, aren't they? I love them together. And I think Jack would definitely have a crush on all of them. I think he was a bit in love with the Doctor and Rose in canon and I think that would apply to the Priestess if she was there too, even more so because the Priestess and Jack have a close relationship considering everything that Priestess knows about his future.

_hiddenintentions_: Thank you so much! It might make more sense in this chapter.

_AxidentlGoddess_: Thank you so much! I can see why that would be an interesting perspective. Yes, things are going to go bad for the Doctor and the Priestess around Season 2. The Doctor is really certain about how much he loves her, but he makes these negligent mistakes that really hurt the Priestess' feelings. Cracks start appearing in their relationship and it all comes to a head at the end of Season 2. I don't want to get into it because I want it to be a surprise when it happens, but you'll start seeing it really early on in Season 2. I hope you'll enjoy it though. It'll be very intense and dramatic and a lot of fun to read.

_TheTinyMouse_: Thank you so much. This is such a sincere, thoughtful review. I'm glad you acknowledged the consent issue. It felt wrong to write that chapter without at least mentioning consent before getting into all the sexy times. And I fully agree with you about 50 Shades of Grey, which is such an inaccurate portrayal of the BDSM lifestyle in general, I can't even take it seriously. So, thank you. It meant a lot to me that someone noticed that.

_Linda Ku_: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and I'm glad you're liking the Priestess. It's not everyday that you can create an OC that makes people want to know about her and I'm so happy I managed to achieve that in this story. It means a lot to me that you're so affected by her. And it's so good to know that you consider my characters to be in character. I think that Rose's character only disintegrated because they were trying to make a big deal about her relationship/romance with the Doctor and I really didn't approve of what they did to her character to make that happen. Anyway, I'm so glad you're liking the story so far. Thank you again for your amazing review :)

_Ronin Kenshin_: Thank you so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it!

_Dream I Dare_: I'm sorry. I've never actually watched the 8th Doctor, so I don't actually know what you're talking about, but consider any romantic relationship between the Doctor and anyone in canon non-existent because the Doctor would never cheat on the Priestess. Thank you!

_Alibird1_: Thank you so much! Some things will be different and some things will be the same. But you won't see the more obvious changes until later on. For now, everything will pretty much stay the same unless there are some minor changes to the plot here and there because of the Priestess' involvement in the events. I'm not going to change the regeneration though. 9 will still turn into 10 at the end of this episode because I wouldn't know what else to do. But I may write an AU where 9 doesn't change later on. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story and thanks for the review!

_Lucifae_: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the Priestess. She's definitely not going to take any of Rose's crap because she's pretty secure in her own importance that she's not going to let Rose's jealousy get to her. More of that jealousy will come in Season 2, I promise, and Rose will get catty and the Priestess will smack her right down. I'm not really on hiatus. I've just found it really hard to work on anything recently and my time's been taken up by my Vampire Diaries fics and I've kind of lost inspiration for Doctor Who since the season ended. But don't worry, I've not forgotten about this story and I don't plan on abandoning. I've got way too much planned to just forget about it. So, thank you so much for your review! It means a lot!

_**Warnings**_: Fluff. Enough said.

* * *

The Parting of the Ways: Caligula

The Daleks were in a state of panic. One of them rounded on the Priestess, sliding closer to her.

"You know the Doctor! You are his Bondmate! You understand him! You will predict his actions!" The Dalek screeched.

Rose frowned, wondering what a Bondmate was, but remained silent, realising that this was neither the time nor the place to ask. The Priestess made sure she remained in the forefront of the Daleks' eyes and she smiled, slowly.

"I am the Priestess. I have never been one to betray the Doctor." She purred, her eyes vicious.

The Dalek glided, dangerously, towards her. "Predict! Predict! Predict!" It screeched, hysterically.

"TARDIS detected. In flight." Another Dalek intoned, distracting the first Dalek.

"Launch missiles! Exterminate!" The first Dalek ordered.

The Priestess smiled to herself.

"You can't! The TARDIS hasn't got any defences, you're gonna kill him!" Rose shouted, desperately, trembling.

"You have predicted correctly." The Dalek said.

* * *

Jack and the Doctor were manning the controls, frantically, the whole ship shuddering as they did so.

"We've got incoming!" Jack shouted, warningly, when he saw two missiles headed straight for the TARDIS.

The two missiles and the TARDIS hurtled towards each other and then collided, exploding with orange flame.

"The extrapolator's working. We've got a fully functional forcefield. Try saying that when you're drunk..." Jack muttered to himself.

"And for my next trick…" The Doctor said and pulled down a lever.

* * *

The Daleks and the Priestess and Rose heard the sound of the TARDIS materialising inside the spaceship. The Priestess smiled as a breeze blew her hair to the side. She and Rose turned around to see the faint outline of the TARDIS appearing around them, surrounding both of them, as well as one of the Daleks.

The Doctor's outline became more and more distinct, his form standing beside the console. The Priestess resisted the urge to run straight into his arms, even though she really wanted to. She knew that there was a Dalek behind them, a threat that could exterminate all of them. The threat had to be neutralised first, then there could be reunions.

"Priestess! Rose! Get down!" The Doctor shouted once the engines had stopped. Rose floundered, but the Priestess tensed, when she felt the Dalek's eyepiece swivel around to face them. "Get down, Priestess!"

_Get down, now. _He roared through the connection.

The Priestess yanked Rose to the side, pressing them both against the wall, the Priestess wrapping her arms around Rose.

"Exterminate!" The Dalek screeched and fired at Jack, who was holding the Defabricator.

With this, Jack deflected the ray back at the Dalek, who shell casing exploded with a scream. Rose winced and the Priestess stared hard at the dead Dalek. Smoke billowed from the remains of the Dalek and the Priestess and Rose came out from under of the struts.

"You did it!" Rose exclaimed amidst the silence that the TARDIS had undertaken.

The Doctor went over to the Priestess and, without a single word, slid his arms around her waist, hauling her up against his chest, burying his face into her hair as their minds slotted against each other. He kissed her on the forehead and tucked a curl behind her ear. He slid his hands down her arms, searching her face and body for any sign of an injury.

_Okay? _The Doctor asked her, worriedly.

_Yes, I am fine. The Daleks would not risk injuring me. They fear you and I entirely too much. _The Priestess explained, calmly, as if she hadn't just been held to ransom by the same creatures that had decimated her people.

_You sure? Don't lie to me, Annika. _The Doctor said, sternly.

_Yes, my love. Now, hug Rose before she becomes suspicious._ The Priestess ordered.

The Doctor smiled down at her and moved over to Rose, taking the young blonde into his arms as well. Rose smiled into his shoulder.

"Feels like I haven't seen you in years." Rose whispered.

"Told you I'd come and get you." The Doctor pointed out. "Both of you."

They pulled away, slightly. "Never doubted it."

"I did! You all right?" The Doctor asked, softly.

"Yeah. You?"

"Not bad." The Doctor snorted. "Been better!" He shared a look with the Priestess. Now wasn't that the truth.

He slipped out of Rose's embrace and moved over to the smouldering remains of the Daleks, while the Priestess walked up the steps and approached Jack.

"Hey, don't I get a hug?" Jack asked, playfully.

A soft smile started to spread across the Priestess' lips. "Hello, darling." His arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her up into the air, up against his body.

Jack hummed, rejoicing in the fact that she was still alive. "Welcome home! Both of you!" He looked at Rose, throwing his arms around her as well.

"Oh, I thought I'd never see you again." Rose murmured.

"Oh, you were lucky, I was just a one-shot wonder. Drained the gun of all its power supply. Now it's just a piece of junk." Jack explained, gesturing to the Defabricator.

The Priestess went back down the steps and joined the Doctor, who was, carefully, examining the Dalek with his sonic screwdriver. Rose and Jack joined them after a moment, all four of them bending over the Dalek and looking at it. The battle armour had been blasted away, giving them a clear view of the mutant inside.

"You said they were extinct. How come they're still alive?" Rose asked, curiously.

"One minute they're the greatest threat in the universe, the next minute they vanished out of time and space." Jack murmured, remembering learning about the Daleks during his training at the Time Agency.

The Priestess narrowed her eyes at the dead mutant inside the casing. "They vanished to fight a greater war… the Time War…" She murmured, pursing her lips, as the memories threatened to resurface, pulling at her still-healing scars.

"I thought that was just a legend." Jack looked at them as if they shouldn't exist.

The Doctor swallowed. "We were there." He looked at the Priestess and entwined their hands, their mental connection not enough to push through the grief that threatened to overtake them. "The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords. With the whole of creation at stake. Our people were destroyed, but they took the Daleks with them."

The Dalek smouldered.

The Priestess whimpered. It was a low and desperate and hurting sound and it only made the Doctor want to take the Priestess in his arms and protect her from the universe. She chuckled, suddenly, making everyone look at her with surprise.

"I almost believed it was worth all of this." Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Now, it appears that they died for nothing." She whispered.

'_Nika._ The Doctor began, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side.

_My children. My babies. They died for nothing. _She wailed, her mind sink into pools of grief and dread and hate and pain, shining shades of black and grey and blood red, as if her mind was actually bleeding.

_No, love, they didn't die for nothing. We'll make sure they didn't die for nothing. We'll fix this, 'Nika, I promise. _The Doctor said, darkly, his fingers twisting into her hair.

"There's thousands of them now. We could hardly stop _one_. What're we gonna do?" Rose asked, incredulously.

The Doctor looked at the Priestess, carefully, helping her to her feet. "No good stood round here chin-wagging! Human race, you'd gossip all day. The Daleks have got the answers, let's go and meet the neighbours." He said, cheerfully.

The Doctor and the Priestess headed off down the ramp, despite Jack and Rose's protests.

"You can't go out there!" Rose shouted after them.

But they had already opened the door and stepped outside.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Daleks screeched in unison.

They fired their exterminator guns at the Doctor and the Priestess, but the rays reflected off the force-field of the TARDIS, keeping the Doctor and the Priestess safe, as well as Rose and Jack, who had, cautiously, popped their heads out of the door behind them. The Daleks finally gave up and the sounds of their guns faded into silence. The Doctor raised his hands, mockingly.

"Is that it?" He asked, sarcastically. "Useless! _Nul points._" The Doctor leaned against the TARDIS, wrapping an arm around the Priestess' waist, much to Rose's confusion. "It's all right, come on out. That force-field can hold back anything." He told Jack and Rose without taking his eyes off the Daleks.

"Almost anything." Jack pointed out.

The Doctor closed his eyes, making the Priestess smile. "… Yes, but I wasn't gonna tell them that. Thanks."

"Sorry." Jack said, apologetically.

The Daleks were silent, watching them. The Doctor and the Priestess stepped forward to address them.

"D'you know what they call us in the ancient legends of the Dalek Homeworld? The Oncoming Storm and his Lady Oracle." The Doctor said, darkly. "You might've removed all your emotions... but I reckon that right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left. And that's fear."

The Dalek's eyepieces twitched, nervously.

"It should _burn_ when you face us." The Priestess said, quietly, but dangerously. "So, tell us, how is it that you survived the Time War?"

"They survived through me."

The Doctor and the Priestess turned around, startled. They took a few steps in the direction of the voice and a Dalek in a large casing, taking up such a wide expanse of the spaceship, was illuminated. The two Time Lords stared up at him with open-mouthed awe.

The Doctor swallowed, gripping onto the Priestess' hand. "Rose… Captain… this is the Emperor of the Daleks." He explained, softly.

"You destroyed us, Doctor. You and your Bondmate. The Dalek Race died in your inferno, but my ship survived, falling through time, crippled but alive."

The Doctor nodded. "We get it."

"Do not interrupt!" Three Daleks screeched at the same time.

Rose and Jack flinched and winced, but the Doctor merely looked mildly annoyed, while the Priestess looked interested.

"I think you're forgetting something. I'm the Doctor. And if there's one thing I can do, it's talk. I've got five billion languages, and you haven't got one way of stopping me. So if anybody's gonna shut up, it's _you_!" The Doctor roared towards the end, making the Daleks shuffle backwards, slightly. He turned back to the Emperor Dalek. "Okey doke." His voice was light again. "So, where were we?"

"We waited here in the dark space, damaged but rebuilding. Centuries passed, and we quietly infiltrated the systems of Earth. Harvesting the waste of humanity. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed, they all came to us. The bodies were filtered, pulped, sifted." Rose looked as though she had just swallowed something disgusting. "The seed of the Human Race is perverted. Only one cell in a billion was fit to be nurtured."

"You created an army of Daleks out of the dead. That would result in you being half-human." The Priestess pointed out, her voice like ice.

"Those words are blasphemy!" The Emperor Dalek shouted, his voice rising.

"Do not blaspheme!" The three Daleks at the front screamed at them, threateningly.

"Everything human has been purged. I cultivated pure and blessed Dalek." The Emperor Dalek told them.

However, the Doctor and the Priestess was looking at all of them, clearly disturbed.

"Since when did the Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?" The Doctor asked, incredulously.

"I reached into the dirt and made new life. I am the God of all Daleks!" The Emperor Dalek roared, much to the Doctor's and the Priestess' surprise.

"Worship him! Worship him! Worship him!"

"They're insane!" The Doctor muttered to the Priestess, Rose and Jack.

"One hundred years in silence. That would be enough to drive anyone insane." The Priestess murmured.

The Doctor stared, intently, at the Daleks, walking towards them, almost pitying them. "But it's worse than that. Driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity."

The Priestess shook her head. She would have felt sorry for them if they weren't Daleks. "You hate your own existence. And that makes you more deadly than you have ever been."

The Doctor nodded and looked at the Emperor Dalek. "We're going." He said, firmly.

"You may _not_ leave my presence!" The Emperor Dalek shouted.

But all four were already halfway to the TARDIS, none of the Daleks having the power to stop them.

"Stay where you are!" One Dalek screeched at them.

The Doctor grinned at them, mockingly, and the Priestess spun on her feet, giving her back to them, before closing the door on them.

"Exterminate!" The Daleks cried out, firing, fruitlessly, at the closed door, chanting their catchphrase.

Once inside the TARDIS, the Doctor and the Priestess leaned their heads against the door, their face softening into mixed faces of pain and worry, showing that their confidence was just a mask. They clutched onto each other's hands and the Priestess turned her head into his shoulder, both of them helpless, the battle cries of the Daleks ringing in their ears.

* * *

Lynda was on Floor 500, deep in thought, waiting for the Doctor and the others to come back. She perked up when she heard the grinding sound of the TARDIS materialising. A second later, the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Jack marched out of the TARDIS, which had reappeared at one end of Floor 500.

The Doctor and the Priestess strode up to the controls. "Turn everything up. All transmissions, wide open, full power. Now! Do it!" The Doctor ordered, his voice rising as he did so.

"What does that do?" The male programmer asked as he obeyed.

"It will stop the Daleks from transmatting on board. Have you contacted Earth?" The Priestess asked.

"Well, we tried to warn them, but all they did was suspend our license because we stopped the programmes." The male programmer explained, defeated.

The Doctor and the Priestess threw their hands up in the air.

"And the planet's just sitting there, defenceless." The Doctor grumbled.

The Priestess narrowed her eyes when she saw Lynda. "Lynda, why are you still here?" She rounded on the Doctor, who took a step back, wary of her anger. "Doctor, why is she still here?"

The Doctor turned and glared at the male programmer. "I told you to evacuate _everyone_." He growled.

"She wouldn't go." The male programmer said, defensively.

"Didn't wanna leave ya." Lynda smiled at the Doctor and the Priestess.

The Priestess watched as Rose looked Lynda up and down, the Priestess tensing when she saw jealousy reflected in Rose's eyes, who clearly did not like the implication that Lynda made. _Was Rose beginning to have romantic feelings for the Doctor?_ She thought. _She has never shown any proclivities towards the female gender. It cannot be me her jealousy was referring to. It must be the Doctor. This poses a problem. A very serious problem. But an expected one. _She amended, knowing that Rose would have developed feelings for the Doctor sooner or later. She needed to have, if only for the sake of some of her visions. The Priestess just needed to keep her own jealousy in control. She knew that Rose posed no threat to her. The Doctor was hers. Always and completely.

"There weren't enough shuttles anyway, or _I_ wouldn't be here... we've got about a hundred people stranded on Floor Zero." The female programmer told them.

The male programmer stared at the screen, his jaw gaping. "Oh, my God." He breathed. "The Fleet is moving. They're on their way."

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess were, frantically, ripping armfuls of wires out of desks, the others watching them, not knowing exactly what they were trying to do.

"Dalek plan, big mistake. Because what have they left me with?" He turned to the Priestess, who had just opened her mouth. "You. Don't say a word. Anyone? Anyone?" He looked up and no one answered and he rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, it's obvious. A great big transmitter, this station." Jack was staring at him, brow furrowed in concentration, trying to work out what he was on about. "If I can change the signal, fold it back, sequence it, anyone?"

Jack's eyes dawned with realisation. "You've gotta be kidding."

The Priestess smiled, proudly. "Good boy. I would give you a sticker but I have none on me."

"She was a teacher on our planet." The Doctor explained to those who looked confused.

"A Delta wave?" Jack asked, incredulously.

"A Delta wave!" The Priestess crowed.

"What's a Delta wave?" Rose asked, looking between Jack, the Doctor and the Priestess.

"It is a form of brainwave, a wave of Van Cassadyne energy." The Priestess explained. "It would burn your brain. If you are in the way of a Delta wave, your head would be _roasted_ from the inside out."

"And this place can transmit a _massive_ wave! Wipe out the Daleks!" The Doctor said, cheerfully.

Rose opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Lynda.

"Well, get started and do it then!" Lynda said, sternly.

Rose shut her mouth, looking disgruntled.

"Trouble is, wave this size, building this big, brains as clever as ours, should take about, ooh, three days?" The Doctor looked at the piles of wires, nervously.

"How long until the Fleet arrive?" The Priestess asked the programmers.

The male programmer checked the computer. "Twenty-two minutes."

The Doctor, frantically, pulled another cable from out underneath the desk, stared at the end of it for a second and then at the Priestess, looked up and beamed at them all.

* * *

"We've now got a force-field so they can't blast us out of the sky." Jack explained.

Rose, Lynda, the male programmer and the female programmer were gathered around the computer while Jack explained this to them.

"But that doesn't stop the Daleks from physically invading." Jack finished.

"Do they know about the Delta wave?" The male programmer asked.

"They'll have worked it out at the same time. So, if they want to stop the Doctor, that means they've got to get to this level. 500." Jack illustrated the illustrative diagram on the screen. "Now, I can concentrate the extrapolator around the top six levels, 500 to 495. So, they'll penetrate the station below that at level 494 and fight their way up."

The male programmer frowned. "Who're they fighting?"

"Us." Jack said, grimly.

"And…" The male programmer started, nervously. "What're we fighting with?"

"The guards had guns with bastic bullets, that's enough to blow a Dalek wide open." Jack said, reassuringly.

The Priestess, who was still with the Doctor, taking out wires from underneath the desks, pursed her lips, exchanging worried looks with the Doctor. They both knew that the bullets wouldn't work on the Daleks. They wouldn't pierce the shell casing that surrounded the Dalek.

"There's _five_ of us." The female programmer said, sceptically.

The Priestess frowned and looked at the Doctor.

_Beloved, Rose must be with us. _She said, strongly.

_Why? _The Doctor frowned.

The Priestess closed her eyes. _Theta, you owe a promise to Rose's mother. We have no right to put her in this situation and expect her to die for us. We may not be able to finish creating the Delta wave before the Daleks invade this space station. We should send her back to the Powell Estate while we still have the opportunity._

The Doctor paled. _You're right, 'Nika. She should stay with us. We'll send her back with the TARDIS. _He felt a wave of grief strike him in the heart as he thought of his beloved ship and leaving it behind, but he knew he had no choice.

"Rose, you can help me. I need all these wires stripped bare." The Doctor called from where he and the Priestess were busying themselves with the wires.

Rose joined him, immediately, a little relieved that she wouldn't have to fight the Daleks face to face.

"Right!" The female programmer rolled her eyes, unable to believe that she had found herself in this situation. "Now there's _four_ of us!"

"Then let's move it! Into the lift! Isolate the lift controls!" Jack ordered, sharply.

The male and female programmers hurried off, and Lynda approached the Doctor and the Priestess. They stood up to meet her, their faces etched with affection.

"I-I just wanna say, um... thanks, I s'pose. And... I'll do my best!" Lynda said, cheerfully, not betraying her anxiety and her dread.

The Priestess wrapped her arms around the young blonde girl, closing her eyes as she did so, knowing that Lynda would mostly likely not survive this invasion. When Lynda turned to the Doctor, they, awkwardly, tried to decide on the best way of saying goodbye. At one point, the Doctor looked as if he was going to kiss her forehead, but they settled on a handshake. They laughed, embarrassedly, while the Priestess smiled at them, fondly, and Rose glared absolute daggers at them in the background. Lynda headed off, glancing back at the Doctor and the Priestess, who watched her go with mixed feelings of regret and grief. Rose, looking murderous, but keeping her mouth shut, stripped a wire with unnecessary ferocity. She dropped it to the ground as Jack approached and stood before them, ready to see his goodbyes, however unwilling.

"It's been fun!" Jack said, trying to keep it light, although he felt a sickening sensation in his stomach. The Doctor and the Priestess smiled at him, tenderly. "But I guess this is goodbye." He said, seriously.

"Don't talk like that." Rose said, sternly. "The Doctor and the Priestess are gonna do it. You just watch 'em."

"Rose…" Jack cupped her face in both of his hands and looked her in the eye, intently. "You are worth fighting for." He placed a brief kiss on her lips, before turning to the Doctor. He grinned at the Doctor. "Wish I'd never met you, Doctor!" He cupped his face in both of his hands, much like he had to Rose. "I was much better off as a coward."

And he kissed him in exactly the same way as he kissed Rose. When Jack turned to the Priestess, who cocked her head to the side, he knew he wouldn't be able to tell what she was feeling. Rose's eyes had been hopeful and the Doctor's eyes had been mournful, the latter knowing how this would end, but he didn't know what to expect when he looked into the Priestess' eyes.

"I was much better off as a coward. But thank you for giving me hope." Jack said, softly, and pressed his lips to hers for a few seconds, shocking her.

_Now this is new. _The Priestess thought as Jack kissed her. She had only kissed one other person other than the Doctor and now she could add Jack to the list.

When they broke away, the Priestess cupped Jack's jaw and leaned on her toes to press a kiss to his forehead. Her hands slip from his jaw to cradle his temple, her mind searching into his, slowly.

Jack almost recoiled with shock when he felt a presence enter his mind, registering the feeling from his previous encounters with other telepathic species. It felt like white-hot, golden fire slipping past his walls, but he recognised that the presence belonged to the Priestess. It was only when he felt her soothing voice murmur in his mind that he began to relax.

_There are so many words I wish I could say to you, Jack, but I am afraid I do not have the time. I am sorry. I am so sorry you were brought into this. And I will always treasure your sacrifice. But your pain will not finish so quickly. And for that, I can only give you my apologies and know it will not be enough. _

_Priestess, what are you…_ Jack tried to say something back, but his head hurt the second he began to say those words, feeling terribly afraid after her words.

_Be strong, dear friend, and I swear to you, on my life and on the Doctor's life, that we will meet again. I swear. _

And the Priestess broke away from Jack, ignoring the curious and worried looks the Doctor and Rose were giving her and Jack. She cupped his jaw once again and gave him a sad smile. Jack felt warm inside after she had left his mind, heartened by the thought of meeting her again. He knew she was telling the truth and not just a lie to make him feel better. His hand rose to cover hers and his eyes thanked her, sincerely.

He looked at all three of them and pointed forward to the exit. "See ya in hell." He greeted and ran off.

The Doctor and Rose and the Priestess watched him leave, before Rose turned back to the Doctor.

"He's gonna be alright…" Rose trailed off, nervously, desperately wanting to believe her own words. The Doctor and the Priestess looked at her, but they didn't say a word. "… Isn't he?" She whispered, needing an answer.

* * *

Jack was standing on a box in the middle of Floor Zero, surrounded by the stranded contestants, who were babbling away with panic. He fired a few shots of his gun into the air for order. They jumped and then fell silent.

"One last time. Any more volunteers?" Jack asked.

There was deadly silence. There were a group of seven volunteers slightly separate from the others, including Lynda and the male and female programmers. A few of the contestants shook their heads.

"There's an army about to invade this station. I need every last citizen to monitor defence!" Jack said, quietly and urgently.

Rodrick pushed himself forward. "Don't listen to him! There aren't any Daleks! They disappeared thousands of years ago!" He shouted.

Despite Rodrick's words, the floor manager from 'The Weakest Link' put herself forward. She nodded at Jack, who nodded back, gratefully.

"Thanks." He told her. "As for the rest of you... the Daleks will enter the station at Floor 494 and as far as I can tell, they'll head up. Not down. But that's not a promise. So here's a few words of advice; keep quiet. And if you hear fighting up above... if you hear us _dying... then_ tell me that the Daleks aren't real." He glared at Rodrick, pointedly. A short silence followed his words. "Don't make a sound." He repeated. He looked at the volunteers. "Let's go."

He jumped off the box and headed for the lifts. He and the eight volunteers bundled inside and the doors closed on them.

* * *

Rose, the Priestess and the Doctor were sitting on the floor in the space between the middle row of desks, working busily in a companionable silence. They were now the only people left on Floor 500.

"Suppose…" Rose began and then her mouth shut.

The Priestess looked at her after a moment. "What?"

"Nothing." Rose shook her head.

"You said 'suppose'." The Doctor said, pointedly.

Rose looked at the Doctor. "No, I was just thinking... I mean, obviously you can't, but... you've got a time machine. Why can't you just go back to last week and warn them?"

The Doctor didn't take his eyes off the wires, while the Priestess watched Rose, interestedly, noticing that Rose addressed the Doctor specifically and not her. "Soon as the TARDIS lands in that second, we become part of events. Stuck in the timeline."

Rose looked as though she was expecting he would say something like that. "Yeah, thought it'd be something like that..." And she carried on working.

"There's another thing the TARDIS could do... it could take us away..." The Doctor said, pointedly, looking at the Priestess, who looked at him with a fond smile. "We could leave. Let history take its course. We go to Marbella in 1989."

"Yes," The Priestess nodded, smiling at him, lovingly. "But you would never do that."

The Doctor met her eyes. "You could ask?" The Priestess smiled and returned to the wires. "Never even occurred to you, did it?" He murmured with quiet affection.

"Someone who has known you for as long as I have, I know everything about you." She said, softly.

Rose watched the Doctor smile at the Priestess as if she meant the universe to him and felt as if someone had hit her in the stomach, irritation rising in her. _Did she have to steal his attention from everyone? It's like he can't see anyone else but her when she's in the room!_

The computer whirred in the background and the Doctor and the Priestess looked over at it, suddenly alert and concentrated.

"The Delta Wave's started building. How long does it need?" The Doctor asked the Priestess.

The two both leapt to their feet and rushed over to the computers, Rose lagging behind. The Doctor plonked himself in one of the chairs and the Priestess sat on the edge, right beside him, while Rose peered over his shoulder. The Priestess pressed a few buttons. She and the Doctor stared at the monitor and their faces fell.

"Is that bad?" Rose asked, worried at their matching hopeless faces.

There was no reply. The Doctor's head sank to his knees and the Priestess' hand slid across his back, a comforting warmth against his spine, as her other hand ran through her hair.

"Okay, it's bad." Rose amended. "How bad is it?"

_We must send her home now. She will die otherwise. _The Priestess said, sternly. _And the TARDIS must go with her. We cannot risk the Daleks capturing the TARDIS if they were to win._

_Yeah, you're right. _The Doctor said, defeated.

_Theta… _The Priestess bit her lip. _I am sorry, beloved. So sorry._

_I know, love, it's… it's not your fault, Annika. Yeah, I'll send her back. She won't be happy, though._

The Doctor suddenly perked up and leapt to his feet, his eyes bright. "Rose Tyler, you're a _genius_!" He shouted, gleefully. Rose smiled, eagerly, shooting the Priestess a smug look, who frowned. He placed a smacking kiss on her forehead. "We can do it! If we use the TARDIS to cross our old timeline... yes!"

And he shot off towards the TARDIS, the Priestess and Rose close behind. They went through the doors and over to the console.

The Doctor indicated a lever to Rose. "Hold that down and keep position." He ordered.

"What's it do?" Rose asked, breathlessly.

The Doctor and the Priestess were staring at the computer, setting up Emergency Program One, so that Rose would at least know what was going on. "Cancels the buffers. If I'm very clever, and I'm more than clever, I'm _brilliant_, I might just save the world. Or rip it apart..."

Rose was holding the lever down. "I'd go for the first one."

"Me too. Now, I've just got to go and power up the Game Station. Hold on!"

He grabbed the Priestess by the streets and ran out of the TARDIS, full of energy, and the doors shut behind them. They stopped. They turned around, slowly, to look at the TARDIS, their faces etched with grief.

* * *

Rose waited for them with wide-eyed expectancy, completely oblivious.

* * *

The Doctor raised his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the TARDIS. The engines groaned and the time rotor started to rise and fall.

* * *

"Doctor, Priestess, what're you doing? Can I take my hand off? It's moving." Rose yelled in the direction of the doors.

* * *

The Doctor did not lower his sonic screwdriver when he heard Rose's yells. He continued to point it at the TARDIS.

* * *

Rose abandoned the lever and ran across the room, throwing herself against the doors

"Doctor, Priestess, let me out!" She shouted, panicking.

* * *

The TARDIS began to fade away.

"Let me out! Doctor, Priestess, what've you done?" They could hear Rose hammering on the door.

But her cries were becoming more and more distant as the TARDIS faded into nothingness.

_I am so sorry, my darling._ The Priestess told the TARDIS, mournfully. _Thank you for caring for our Theta Sigma for so long._

_It was my honour, Prophet. _The TARDIS crooned, her voice a sad and haunting melody in her mind. _Will you tell our thief that I cared for you both as my own?_

_Of course._ The Priestess whispered, twin trails of tears falling down her cheeks, and she closed her eyes.

In a moment, the TARDIS was gone completely and the Doctor and the Priestess faced an empty space. The Doctor finally lowered his sonic screwdriver and turned away, sinking into the Priestess' loving embrace, both physically and mentally, her arms and mind wrapping around him like a vice.

* * *

Rose was still pounding, frantically, on the door when a hologram of the Doctor appeared standing next to the console, flickering slightly. Rose spun around when she heard him speak.

"This is Emergency Programme One. Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing." Rose stared, wide-eyed. "We must be in danger. And I mean fatal. The Priestess and I are dead or we're about to die any second with no chance of escape."

"No!" Rose lunged forwards, helplessly, her eyes starting to water.

"And that's okay. Hope it's a good death."

Rose stopped at the top of the ramp, just staring at him, not being able to do much more in the face of such a hurt.

"But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home."

"I won't let you." Rose stammered. She rushed up the remainder of the steps. The Doctor's hologram continued to stare ahead of him, not looking at her.

"And I bet you're fussing and moaning now, typical. But hold on and just listen a bit more. The TARDIS can never return for me. Emergency Programme One means we're facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do: let the TARDIS die." Rose's mouth dropped open ever so slightly in her distress. "Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it; no one will even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world will move on and the box will be buried. And if you want to remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all. One thing." The Doctor's head turned to face her, his eyes full of compassion, as if he knew she was there. "Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life."

Rose just watched, but could do nothing but look on as the hologram flickered before fading altogether.

"You can't do this to me." Rose strode over to the console. "You can't." She raged at the TARDIS, slamming down every available button and lever, yelling in absolute desperation, her mind whirring a mile a minute. "Take me back! Take me back!" She screamed.

The pain was evident on her face as she rattled at the controls, having no effect whatsoever on the TARDIS. The engines eventually died down and ground to a halt. Rose abandoned the console, ran across the room, flung open the doors and rushed outside, only to find herself looking at the block of flats where she lived, on a grey and dismal day. She ran back inside the TARDIS, refusing to accept what had happened.

Rose rattled the controls and raged at the TARDIS. "Come on, fly. How do you fly? Come on, _help me_!" She screamed, helplessly.

But the TARDIS didn't reply.

* * *

Mickey rushed around a corner and bolted down the street in time to see Rose stepping out of the TARDIS doors, defeated. She leaned against the side as he caught up with her.

Mickey strode towards her. "I knew it! I was all the way down Clifton's Parade, and I heard the engines and I thought 'there's only one thing that makes a noise like that'." As he approached her, he realized that Rose was in tears. His face transformed into an expression of concern. "What is it?" He asked, softly.

But Rose couldn't even say a word as she reached, blindly, out to him, clinging to him with her eyes screwed up against the pain and tears.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess were working alone.

"I don't want you to die here." The Doctor said, suddenly, looking over at her.

"If I had the ability to choose where I perish, I will always choose to be at your side." The Priestess said, slowly. "You are my life. My love. My everything. I have already experienced two deaths in your absence. I will only die with you." She finished with a tone of finality.

"What did I do to deserve you?" The Doctor asked, after observing her carefully for a few moments.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." The Priestess smiled and leaned into him.

The Doctor cupped her cheek in his hand, his fingers sliding into her silky hairs. He leaned down and slanted his mouth over hers, his desperation, worry and love leaking into the kiss as he pressed deeper. His lips seemed to say everything he had ever said to her or had ever wanted to say to her in that one kiss. It was a mix of _I love you_ and _thank you_ and _I'm sorry_ and _I'll want you forever_. She pulled back with a smile and pressed her lips to his forehead.

"So, this is probably the time where I ask if you've seen this happen in a vision." The Doctor said, casually.

The Priestess looked down. "I did not see the Daleks. I did not know they were the ones behind the conspiracy. If I had seen the Daleks, I would have told you, immediately, I swear." She said, nervously, not wanting the Doctor to think that she had intentionally kept this from him.

"Hey, hey," The Doctor started, reassuringly, placing a hand on her thigh. "I don't blame you for anything, love. I know if you keep something from me, you do it for my best interests. Just like I do for you. You and me against the universe." He said, softly. "So, you really didn't see any of this?"

"No." The Priestess whispered, deciding not to mention what she had seen of Rose. "I wish my visions were more frequent or more complete. But they are not. And I must be content with what I receive."

"So, you don't know what 'Bad Wolf' means?" The Doctor asked.

The Priestess pursed her lips, the image of Rose burning coming to the forefront of her mind. She had one final choice here. She had the chance to tell him everything.

* * *

A/N: I thought this would be a good place to end the first chapter of the episode. But good news. This means that the next chapter will be the last one! WOW! My first completed story. I can't believe I've actually gotten this close to the line.

I hope you liked the chapter, everyone. We got to see a growing jealous Rose in this chapter. I always thought that Rose didn't start to have proper romantic feelings for the Doctor until either Season 2 or _The Parting of the Ways. _And if you're looking for a bitchy Rose, you'll have to wait until Season 2, sorry. I don't know if you noticed, but Rose tends to put down a lot of the girls she's jealous of. She gave Lynda all these death glares in _The Parting of the Ways._ She started the second fight between her and Sarah Jane in _School Reunion_ and she called Lucy "thick" in _Rise of the Cybermen_ because the Doctor was paying special attention to her. I have a feeling that she's only compassionate as long as you're not after the Doctor. And we'll see a lot of that defensive Rose in Season 2 with the Priestess, I promise. But we got a few stirrings here. Rose's jealousy and her smug look when she thought the Doctor was paying more attention to her rather than the Priestess.

And we got a few more hints into Jack's relationship with the Priestess. They will be like siblings in future, I promise, and this was kind of the start of it. Jack really loves the Priestess in a reassuring older/younger sister kind of way. And I wanted their goodbye scene to be a bit more extended than with the Doctor and Rose. I wanted the Priestess to offer Jack some strength, knowing what was going to happen to him.

And we also had Rose's goodbye scene. I made Rose focus more on the Doctor rather than the Priestess in this chapter, because she is having growing feelings for him. But I made the Priestess push for the Doctor to send Rose home because she was a mother once and she knows that Jackie would want her daughter to be safe.

And we got some nice interactions between the Doctor and the Priestess. They're really sweet together, aren't they? And we now have confirmation, the Doctor and the Priestess had children together and they died in the war. Poor things. I felt like they had a great deal of companionship in this chapter and they shared a lot. Like a real married couple. And I finally got a chance to reference the title of the series in a chapter!

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter and don't forget to leave a review.


	18. The Parting of the Ways: Fresh Hell

Dream Weaver – Chapter 18

_**A/N**_: THE LAST CHAPTER! I have the urge to do the can-can. I never expected to get to this point. My first story to have finished, maybe not completely, but it's a start. But I'll talk more about that at the end of the chapter. This one's a doozy. The Doctor regenerates and Rose becomes Bad Wolf. Where does the Priestess fall into all of this?

I know it's a bit late, guys, but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you guys enjoyed all your holidays!

_**Replies to Reviews**_:

_NicoleR85_: Thank you so much! The Priestess and Rose are going to have a bit of an antagonistic relationship in the coming episodes after this. Especially in _The Christmas Invasion_. Mainly because Season 2 is where I pinpoint the regression of Rose's character and hopefully it aligns with the way she acted in Season 2. I think the way I would characterise the Priestess' relationship with the Doctor in Season 2 without giving anything away would be that it's a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding and unintentional mistakes/words that results in the Doctor and the Priestess being hurt by each other. Plus, it's not just Rose. The two have a lot of other underlying issues with each other that they never got a chance to go through and that just kind of comes to the surface with Rose around. While I think the Priestess is secure in herself not to put up with Rose's bitchiness in the next season, I think she does have her own insecurities that may prevent her from just calling a timeout and sitting down with the Doctor and airing a lot of their issues out. It's kind of a back-and-forth struggle with them in the next season. They fight, they make up, the Priestess buries a lot, they fight, they make up, the Priestess buries a lot, etc. But Season 3: that's a real emotional rollercoaster.

_SlytherinHolmes_: Thank you, hun! I know, I can't wait for Season 2 either. It's definitely fun to write. And yeah, some of the Priestess' reactions to Rose's obvious jealousy/feelings for the Doctor will be quite fun and some are quite sad and it's just generally going to be one hell of a ride with her the next season. I'm so glad you enjoy the Doctor and the Priestess together and I do love them as a couple, so I'm glad you feel the same way. And I'm really happy that you're enjoying the Priestess because I am really loving writing the nuances to her character, and I'm glad you find her strong and independent because I love writing her take-no-prisoners attitude and I do try and slip those vulnerable moments wherever I can to make her a more well-rounded character. So I'm glad I managed to achieve that, so thanks for letting me know!

_Guest_: Okay, so, Rose is still a character in the story. A major character. That's why the character list is a part of the story, to actually list the characters that are involved in the story. I'm sorry if you don't like my characterisation of Rose but you're free not to read the story if you don't want to. But I'm not going to change the character list because you feel like I'm being 'needlessly rude' when I'm just following what the character list is meant for.

_ThisUsernameIsIndecisive_: Thank you so much!

_xxPrtlyCldyxx_: Thank you so much, dear! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Unfortunately, I think it's natural to feel self-conscious because you're not in a position to judge your own work for its quality until someone else with a fresh pair of unbiased eyes has had a look at it. But from what I've seen, people seem to enjoy this story which definitely makes me feel better about it! I'm glad you liked the original chapter because I thought it would be interesting to put the Doctor and the Priestess in a sex-pollen/aphrodisiac kind of storyline and see how they'd react, so hopefully I did them and the plotline justice. Thank you so much, you're so sweet!

_moonlightprincess99_: Oh, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far and I'm so glad you like the Priestess as well. She's definitely a favourite of mine and I'm glad to see people are receiving her well. Thank you so much for your review! It means a lot to me.

_time-twilight_: Thank you so much! Unfortunately, the Priestess is very tight-lipped about her visions and it is a source of contention between her and the Doctor because the Doctor hates it when she keeps secrets but he also understands – albeit reluctantly – why she does. So, the Priestess probably won't tell the Doctor she knows anything about Bad Wolf because she doesn't want anything to change from the way she's seen it. As for Rose getting stuck in the parallel world, that's definitely something I'm playing with but I haven't decided as of yet. But thank you again for the review!

_ajwehri_: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the Priestess, she's definitely one of my more favourite characters and it's so nice to hear that you're enjoying her too. I try my best to make her seem as one of a kind as I possibly can without making her too much of a Mary Sue. Hope you like this chapter!

_Celaena007_: Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter!

_**Warnings**_: Nothing much to worry about. Some Dark Themes. Fluff. Etc.

* * *

The Parting of the Ways: Fresh Hell

"_So, you don't know what 'Bad Wolf' means?" The Doctor asked._

_The Priestess pursed her lips, the image of Rose burning coming to the forefront of her mind. She had one final choice here. She had the chance to tell him everything. _

But before she had a chance to say anything, Jack's voice came over the intercom.

"Rose, I've called up the internal laser codes. There should be a different number on every screen, can you read them out to me?" Jack asked.

"She is not here." The Priestess told him.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Of all the times to take a leak! When she gets back, tell her to read me the codes!"

"She is not coming back." The Priestess said, regretfully.

Jack recoiled, looking wrong-footed. "What d'you mean? Where'd she go?"

"Just get on with your work." The Doctor said, sharply, his grief for his lost companion and his lost ship still pulling at him.

Jack's eyes dawned with realisation. "You took her home, didn't you?"

"Yeah." The Doctor murmured.

Jack nodded, not at all surprised. He had already realised how hopeless their situation was. "The Delta Wave... is it ever gonna be ready?"

"Tell him the truth, Time Lords." The Emperor Dalek said. The Doctor and the Priestess looked up to see an image of the Emperor Dalek projected onto the screen. "There is every possibility that the Delta Wave could be complete, but no possibility of refining it. The Delta Wave must kill every living thing in its path, with no distinction between Human and Dalek. All things will die. By your hands."

The Doctor and the Priestess didn't reply.

"Doctor, Priestess... the range of this transmitter covers the entire Earth." Jack said, warningly.

"You would destroy Daleks and Humans together. If I am God, the creator of all things, then what does that make you, Doctor, Priestess?"

"There are colonies out there. The Human Race would survive in some shape or form, but you are the _only_ Daleks in existence." The Priestess snapped, harshly. "The entire universe is in danger if we let you live."

The Doctor looked at Jack on the other screen. "Do you see, Jack? That's the decision we've got to make for every living thing. Die as a Human or live as a Dalek." He looked at him, appealing him for another way, but knowing there was none. "What would you do?"

"You sent her home. She's safe. Keep working." Jack said, reassuringly.

The Priestess had never been more proud of him until this moment. She smiled at the young human and hurt inside when she thought of what would happen t him.

"But he will exterminate you!" The Emperor Dalek protested.

Jack grinned at the Doctor and the Priestess. "Never doubted them, never will." He said, finally.

And the Priestess and the Doctor grinned back and leapt to their feet, heartened and invigorated by Jack's absolute faith in them. The Priestess strode across the room to the screen that depicted the Emperor Dalek.

"Very well, _God of all Daleks_," The Priestess said his title, mockingly, as if she had never found anything funnier. "There is one thing that continues to confuse me, perhaps you can give me the answer? The words 'Bad Wolf', across time and space. Everywhere, drawing us in, as if it were bait. How could you have accomplished that?" She asked, curiously, trying to arrest the thought the Daleks were behind what happened to Rose.

"I did nothing."

The Doctor came up behind the Priestess, his hand falling to the small of her back. "Oh, come on." He said, sceptically. "There's no secrets now, your worship."

"They are not part of my design. This is the truth of God. Your Bondmate can verify my words."

And the screen switched off.

The Doctor turned to look at the Priestess, whose eyes were dead. "Is there something you wanna tell me?" He asked, dangerously.

The Priestess looked up at him, indifferent to the anger displayed on his face, her entire face emotionless. "In one of my dreams, I dreamt of the Bad Wolf. I will not say any more." She said, firmly.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at her. "Is this where I start to not trust you?"

She felt as if he had just smacked her across the face and her eyes widened. "Are you trying to say that you do not trust me?" If her voice wavered towards the end of that sentence, neither of them chose to comment on it.

"You're not exactly making it easy on me." The Doctor spat.

"I have never been anything other than honest with you, Doctor. I cannot see why you would choose to doubt me now."

"Honest, yes. But you keep things from me. Secrets. And we're not supposed to have secrets between us."

The Priestess glared at him. "I keep secrets that must be kept. You have always trusted me to tell you what you need to know. Why has that changed now?"

"Because whatever this is, 'Tess, it isn't safe!" The Doctor shouted. "You're playing with something that I don't think you realise the magnitude of. I know you feel this burden placed on your shoulders, but you could at least share it with me!"

"I…" The Priestess bit her lip and moved closer to him, standing so that she was mere centimetres from him. "I do not…. I…. I am scared." She snapped, finally. "I do not know where this will end. But you and I both know it must go according to my vision. Otherwise it would just be another paradox, similar to the one in 1987. Is it not our duty to keep Time in balance?"

"But if our duty comes at the price of innocent lives?" The Doctor asked, quietly. "Shouldn't we try and change it?"

"You're right, we should." The Priestess nodded. "And this sounds incredibly cruel of me, I am aware it does, but if we had to choose between one person dying and a million others dying, should we not pick the one person? It sounds horrible and if we believed in a concept of the afterlife, I am sure my road is hell, but… please do not think I want this to happen. Whoever 'Bad Wolf' is and I will not tell you, you will learn for yourself, she will make her choice and we, including her, must live with it." She finished, quietly.

There were a few seconds of pause from the Doctor. "I hate this." He said, suddenly.

"I know, I do not appreciate it much either." She whispered. "But the entire universe is dependent on the Daleks perishing now, and the only way for that to happen is if we complete the Delta wave. It will slaughter the humans as well, but the Daleks will destroy the universe if left to their own devices." She paused. "I sound dreadful." She whispered, bitterly, shaking her head.

The Doctor cracked a smile. "No more than I do." He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

Their argument wasn't over and he was sure it would come up again. For all their years together, for all the trust they had in each other, there was the odd time when they still came into conflict in regard to her visions. The times were scarce, practically non-existent, in fact, he could count the times on one hand, but there were times when he questioned her keeping her visions a secret from him. He didn't fault her for it, he loved her for it. He knew she had been raised in that manner, she had adopted a survivalist approach to her life, trying to protect herself and those she loved by any means necessary. Her visions were sometimes a threat to her and her family and she wouldn't disclose them to anyone if the time came. And this was part of the reason why he had fallen in love with her in the first place. When she loved, she loved absolutely. She would fight till the end for those she loved. And he loved her for loving.

"I love you." He said, suddenly, needing to say it once, at least, aloud, in the case of their death.

"And I, you." The Priestess smiled up at him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing, gently.

* * *

"And it's gone up-market, this place. They're doing little tubs of coleslaw, now."

Mickey, Rose and Jackie were sitting at a table in a completely ordinary chip shop, Rose sitting opposite to Mickey and Jackie. Mickey and Jackie were tucking into their box of chips, but Rose's box remained untouched. She was gazing out of the window, the entire conversation flying over her head.

"It's not very nice. Tastes a bit sort of clinical." Jackie amended.

Mickey glanced up at Rose from his chips, realising that she wasn't paying much attention to their conversation. "Have you tried that new pizza place down Minto Road?"

"What's it selling?" Jackie asked, interestedly.

"Pizza."

"Oh, that's nice." Jackie said. Rose gazed out of the window with a faraway look in her eye, looking incredibly downcast. "Do they deliver?"

"Yeah!"

Jackie took another look at Rose, and then abandoned all pretence of having an ordinary conversation.

"Oh, Rose. Have something to eat…" Jackie pleaded.

"Two hundred thousand years in the future, they're dying, and there's _nothing_ I can do." Rose's voice trembled, her eyes not leaving the window.

"Well, like you said, two hundred thousand years, it's way off!" Jackie said, reassuringly.

Rose's eyes snapped towards her, growing angry. "But it's not! It's now! That fight is happening right now, and they're fighting for us! For the whole planet, and I'm just sitting here eating chips!" She growled, her voice angry and upset at her mother's pathetic comforting.

"Listen to me." Jackie said, firmly. Rose turned to face her, reluctantly falling silent when she saw the earnest look on her mother's face. "God knows I have hated that man, but right now, I love him, and d'you know why? Because he did the right thing. He sent you back to me."

And Jackie returned her attention back to the chips, as if the matter was closed.

"But what do I do every day, mum?" Rose hissed, desperately. "What do I do? Get up, catch the bus, go to work, come back home, eat chips and go to bed? Is that it?"

"It's what the rest of us do." Mickey said, coldly, taking Rose's words as a personal slight.

"But I can't!" Rose protested, loudly.

Mickey scowled. "Why, 'cause you're better than us?"

Rose leaned across the table, fervent in her frustration. "No, I didn't mean that!" She paused, trying to calm herself down. Jackie watched her, carefully. "But it was... it was a better life." She said, quietly. "And I-I don't mean all the travelling and... seeing aliens and spaceships and things, that don't matter. The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You know, he showed you too." She met Mickey's eyes, speaking earnestly. Her voice began to rise in her passion. "That you _don't_ just give up. You _don't_ just let things happen. You _make_ a stand. You _say_ no. You have the guts to do what's right when everyone else just _runs_ away, and I just can't-"

Her voice broke off, unable to carry on. She kicked the table in her frustration and leapt to her feet, running out of the chip shop in despair. Jackie and Mickey glanced at one another in dismay.

* * *

Jack was instructing Lynda over a terminal in the observation deck of Floor 56.

"Right, Lynda, you are my eyes and ears. When the Daleks get in, you can follow it on that screen and report it to me." Jack explained.

"Understood." Lynda nodded.

"They'll detect you but the door's made of Hydra Combination. Should keep them out." Jack told her.

"Should?" Lynda asked, nervously.

"It's the best I can do." Jack said. He raised his wrist to his lips and spoke into his device. "How long till the Fleet arrives?" He asked.

"They've accelerated." The male programmer informed him.

"This is it, ladies and gentlemen! We are at war!" Jack shouted and he left the deck.

* * *

Rose was sitting on a bench in the playground in the Powell Estate, staring off into space. Mickey stood over her.

"You can't spend the rest of your life thinking about the Doctor."

"But how do I forget him?" Rose whispered, her eyes starting to water.

"You've got to start living your own life." Rose looked up at Mickey. "You know, a proper life, like the kind he's never had. The sort of life that you could have with me."

But Rose's attention had already wandered, Mickey's pleading falling on deaf ears. She noticed the words 'BAD WOLF' written in huge letters across the cement of the playground in spray paint. Rose stood up, slightly shaking, and walked over to them. Mickey followed. Rose looked around, spinning around, her hair whipping around her face, and noticed that 'BAD WOLF' was graffitied all over the playground walls as well.

"Over here! It's over here as well!" Rose exclaimed and dashed over to the wall to examine the graffiti.

"That's been there for years! It's just a phrase! It's just words!" Mickey called after her, frustrated by her wandering attention.

Rose started to bubble with excitement, a sliver of hope building inside her. "I thought it was a warning... maybe it's the opposite. _Maybe_ it's a message. The same words written down now and two hundred thousand years in the future. It's a link between me and the Doctor! Bad Wolf here... Bad Wolf there!"

Mickey frowned. "But if it's a message, what's it saying?"

Rose had already run off, back in the direction of the TARDIS. "It's telling me I can get back! The least I can do is help him escape!"

* * *

The volunteers were getting themselves ready to face the Daleks.

"Stand your ground, everyone... follow my commands. And good luck." Jack said.

The male programmer handed a gun to the female programmer.

* * *

Lynda watched the screen.

"You were right! They're forcing the airlock on 494." Lynda spoke into the intercom.

* * *

The Priestess and the Doctor were racing around on Floor 500, going into overdrive in an attempt to finish the Delta wave before the Daleks reached their floor. The Satellite shuddered, violently, almost sending them to the floor.

* * *

"All the TARDIS needs to do is make a return trip. Just... reverse." Rose exclaimed, all hopeful and lively.

"Yeah, but we still can't do it." Mickey said, slowly.

"The Doctor always said the TARDIS is telepathic. This thing is alive. It can listen." Rose said, conspiratorially.

"It's not listening now, is it?"

"We need to get inside it. Last time I saw you, with the Slitheen, this middle bit opened..." Rose began, remembering the golden light flooding out from the console. "And there was this light... and the Priestess said it was the heart of the TARDIS. If we can open it, we can make contact. I can tell it what to do!"

"Rose…" Mickey began.

"Mm?" Rose hummed.

"If you go back, you're gonna die." Mickey said, quietly.

"That's a risk I've gotta take. 'Cos there's nothing left for me here." Rose said, completely confident.

And it was with heart-stopping shock that she knew she was telling the truth. She didn't know when and she didn't know how, but she had started to fall in love with the Doctor. She had to admit she had been attracted to him the first time she had met him, but she had stowed that away. He was an alien and she had a boyfriend. Then, when the Doctor had found the Priestess again, her feelings only began to get complicated. She had these small bursts of feelings for the Doctor over the course of their travels, but she had shoved it down, especially when faced with the strange relationship that the Priestess seemed to have with the Doctor.

She had to admit that the Priestess telling her that she and the Doctor were just friends had made her very happy. It made her believe now that she might have a chance with the Doctor, and if the Priestess was interested in him as well, well, she just had a romantic rival and she could deal with that. All she had to do was save the Doctor and the Priestess and Jack from the Daleks, and she could start to show the Doctor that they would make a good couple, that is, if she survived the trip. But she had to have hope that she would. And if the Doctor started to have feelings for the Priestess, something that Rose was still unsure of whether he had them in the present or not, she would simply have to fight for him.

"Nothing?" Mickey raised an eyebrow, feeling as though she had just punched him in the stomach, feeling all knotted up inside and his heart hurting at the brutal rejection.

"No." Rose said, finally, looking away and avoiding Mickey's eye.

Mickey nodded, trying to claim as much dignity back as possible in the face of such a vicious dismissal. "Okay, if that's what you think... let's get this thing open."

* * *

Lynda was monitoring the Daleks' progress on the screen in front of her. She watched the red lights that indicated the Daleks moving, slowly, down a corridor.

Suddenly, there was a beeping noise.

"Defences have gone offline. The Dalek's have overridden the lock." Lynda said, nervously.

* * *

Mickey released the handbrake of his yellow Beetle. He started the engines, a look of determination on his face. The Beetle was hooked up with a thick, strong chain, which connected the car to the console of the TARDIS, where Rose was standing.

"Faster!" Rose called out to Mickey.

Mickey slammed his foot down, pressing down so hard that steam was billowing from underneath the car, but still, the console refused to budge.

"Come on!" Mickey yelled at the car.

The wheels spun, uselessly, on the spot.

"It's not moving!" Rose shouted.

Mickey growled with the effort, the chain becoming more and more taut as the distance between the car and the TARDIS increased, but to no avail. Rose chewed on her lip in her anticipation. The chain shuddered with the pressure and snapped. Rose yelped in frustration, kicking the console and leaning on it, her head down and thwarted once again.

* * *

"Advance guard have made it to 495." Lynda spoke into the intercom.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess dropped the wires they were holding and rushed over to the intercom.

"Jack, how're we doing?" The Doctor asked through the intercom.

* * *

"495 should be good. I like 495." Jack spoke into his wrist-device.

Suddenly, he heard the sound three Daleks being disintegrated by the Anne Droid on floor 495. He, upon hearing this, punched the air in triumph.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, ecstatically.

* * *

"They're flying up the ventilation shafts!" Lynda exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at the diagram in front of her, which showed the red lights that represented the Daleks doing exactly that. Her eyes widened. "No... wait a minute... oh, my God! Why're they doing that? They're going down!" She shouted, helplessly, horror striking her.

She started to hear the screams of the dying people on Floor Zero, the cries of 'Exterminate' and the sounds of the ray guns. She clicked the sound off, swallowing hard, horrified, not wanting to hear another sound. Her hands went up to cover her mouth and she tried to fight back the tears, feeling her eyes start to water. She opened the communication line again.

"Floor Zero. They killed them all." She whispered.

She couldn't help her tears anymore and they started to fall down her face, her hand covering her mouth, stifling a sob.

* * *

Rose was slumped in one of the chairs next to the console, broken and defeated, staring into space. Jackie was standing over her, worried for her daughter.

"It was never gonna work, sweetheart. And the Doctor knew that. He just wanted you to be safe." Jackie's voice was consoling and gentle, in an attempt to soothe her daughter.

"I can't give up." Rose whispered, desperately.

"Lock the door. Walk away." Jackie said, gently.

Rose looked up at her mother. "Dad wouldn't give up." She said, firmly.

"Well, he's not here, is he?" Jackie said, sharply. Rose stared at her in silence for a few seconds, debating whether she should tell her mother or not. "And even if he was, he'd say the same."

"No, he wouldn't." Rose protested. Jackie stared at her. "He'd tell me to try anything. If I could save the Doctor's life... try anything."

"Well, we're never going to know." Jackie said, indifferently, but Rose could see in her eyes that her words had rung true.

"Well, I know. 'Cos I met him. I met Dad." Rose said, strongly.

"Don't be ridiculous." Jackie said, quietly, looking everywhere but her daughter's eyes.

Rose straightened in her chair, invigorated by her sudden decision to tell the truth. "The Doctor and the Priestess took me back in time, and I met Dad." She neglected to mention her saving her father's life and the resulting paradox that almost destroyed the Earth and ended with the Priestess dying, briefly.

"Don't say that." Jackie said, sharply, wondering if her daughter had become so selfish that she would resort to using her dead father to get her way.

"Remember when Dad died...? There was someone with him." Rose's voice began to crack under the pressure of her stifled sobs. Jackie just stared at her, not wanting to hear it, but unable to walk away from her daughter. "A girl. A blonde girl. She held his hand..." There was absolutely no recognition from Jackie, her eyes still blank as she stared at Rose. "You saw her from a distance, mum!" She shouted, frustrated at the lack of reply from her mother, tears running down her face. "You saw her! Think about it! That was me. You saw me-"

"Stop it." Jackie said, abruptly, not willing to hear anymore.

"That's how good the Doctor is-"

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Jackie shouted, running from the TARDIS, starting to cry, leaving Rose alone.

Rose's whole body was shaking with the force of her grief as she sobbed her heart out.

* * *

"Lynda! What is happening on Earth?" The Priestess shouted into the intercom.

* * *

Lynda watched the Fleet of Daleks glide smoothly down to Earth.

"The Fleet's descending... they're bombing whole continents. Europa... Pacifica... the New American Alliance..." Lynda said into the intercom, her voice hushed with horror.

The diagram on the screen showed waves of red light radiating from each of the continents as she said their name.

"Australasia's just… gone." Lynda swallowed.

* * *

Jack hurried out onto Floor 499, carrying a gun.

"Floor 499. We're the last defence. The bullets should work if you concentrate them on the Dalek's eyestalk. I've got the force-field at maximum so the Dalek fire part should be at its weakest." He explained to the remaining volunteers.

He positioned himself with the other volunteers, behind the barricade, waiting for the Daleks to arrive.

"I'm only here 'cos of you. I joined the Programme because... you were on it." The male programmer confessed to the female programmer.

She raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to say, when this is all over and if we're still alive, maybe we could go for a drink?" The female programmer asked, incredulously.

The male programmer shrugged. "That'd be nice."

"Yeah, well, tough." She scowled.

He looked around at her. She winked at him, playfully, and they smiled at one another. They, then, released the safety catches of their guns, ready to fire.

* * *

Mickey and Rose were leaning against Mickey's car, staring at the TARDIS.

"There's gotta be something else we can do." Mickey murmured, earnestly.

Rose sighed. "Mum was right... maybe we should just lock the door and walk away."

Mickey straightened and shook his head, determinedly. "I'm not having that. I'm not having you just-just give up now. No way. We just need something stronger than my car... something bigger... something like that!"

And they both turned around as they heard the roar of an engine echoing through the empty street. They saw a massive recovery truck drive around the corner, driven by a determined Jackie. Rose grinned in awe and amazement and pride. It came to a halt in front of them and Jackie jumped out, striding towards them.

"Right. You've only got this until six o' clock, so get on with it." Jackie huffed.

Rose cracked a smile. "Mum, where the hell did you get that from?" She asked, astonished.

"Rodrigo." She shrugged. "He owes me a favour. Never mind why, but you were right about your dad, sweetheart. He was full of mad ideas, and this is exactly what he would've done. Now, get on with it before I change my mind."

She threw the keys to Mickey, who caught them with a nod of thanks, the two sharing a knowing look. They would never be able to change Rose's mind, the best thing was to go along with her. Rose ran back into the TARDIS and Mickey hurried to the door of the pickup truck, climbing inside.

* * *

The volunteers had their guns positioned behind the barricade. They remained out of sight, waiting for the Daleks to come across them instead.

"Open fire!" Jack shouted as the doors slid open and a Dalek crawled through the opening.

The volunteers fired, madly, in the direction of the Daleks. The sounds of the gunshots echoed throughout the entire floor and made their way to Floor 500, where the Doctor and the Priestess were dashing around, working frantically to build the Delta wave in time for the Daleks to each them. The Daleks advanced on the volunteers, seemingly nonplussed and unaffected by the bullets. They faced the barricades. The male programmer jumped down and shouted to Jack.

"It's not working!" The male programmer shouted to Jack.

"Concentrate your fire! Eyestalk, two o' clock!" Jack ordered.

The volunteers continued to fire, the shells of the bullets falling uselessly to the floor with a clatter before they could even touch the Daleks. One of the bullets, however, managed to catch the eyestalk of one of the Daleks and its vision went black.

"My vision is impaired! I cannot see!" The Dalek screeched, helplessly.

"We did it!" The female programmer exclaimed.

However, she paid for letting her concentration slip. A bolt of light from an exterminator gun hit her and she slumped backwards, dead.

"No! No!" The male programmer shouted in grief and rage and stood, firing madly over the top of the barricade, no longer caring about the consequences. He too was hit with a bolt and was thrown backwards. Jack carried on firing, roaring with the anger of losing his comrades.

* * *

Lynda's computer started to beep.

"I've got a problem…" Lynda said, nervously and afraid.

The beeping subsided and Lynda looked, uneasily, at the door.

"Human female detected." The Dalek crowed from outside the observation deck.

There was a deadly silence as Lynda closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. She looked at the door with apprehension.

"They've found me." She whispered, fearfully.

* * *

"You'll be all right, Lynda." The Doctor said, reassuringly, while he and the Priestess worked.

"That part of the space station is reinforced against meteors." The Priestess murmured, knowing that the Dalek's exterminator gun would most likely pierce the shielding of the doors that Lynda was hiding behind.

"Hope so! Know what they say about Earth Workmanship..." Lynda said, lightly.

* * *

From the inside of the observation deck, Lynda could see a flame coming through one of the joins of the door and start to spark. Then, as if sensing something behind her, she turned slowly back to the window. Her eyes widened with shock. There were three Daleks rising into view outside, threateningly. The dome-lights on the head of the Dalek at the front flashed four times, indicating four syllables of the words it was speaking, and it fired. The window smashed to pieces and Lynda screamed.

* * *

Upon hearing Lynda's scream, the Doctor and the Priestess looked up with shock.

* * *

Jack was running backwards down a corridor on Floor 499, firing at the Dalek that was perusing him, his gun oustretched in front of him.

"Last man standing! For God's sake, Doctor, Priestess, finish that thing and kill them!" Jack yelled.

* * *

The Doctor and the Priestess, still working, heard the Dalek Emperor's voice rumble and saw it on the screen.

"Finish that thing and kill mankind." The Dalek Emperor said.

The Doctor paused to listen to him and the Priestess tugged him by the wrist, drawing him back to their work, frantically.

* * *

One end of the chain had now been fixed to the truck and the other end to the console. Jackie watched by the TARDIS doors. Mickey was at the wheel, Rose by the console. The chain began to stretch and stretch.

"Keep going!" Rose shouted out to Jackie, trembling when she saw absolutely no reaction from the console from the continuous pressure.

"Put your foot down!" Jackie called out to Mickey.

Mickey slammed his foot down on the accelerator.

"Faster!" Rose screamed.

"Give it some more, Mickey!" Jackie shouted.

Mickey growled with the effort he was placing on the truck.

The metal of the console was beginning to creak.

"Keep going!" Rose's eyes widened as she saw the effect the pressure had on the console.

"Come on, come on!" Jackie urged.

The chain became more and more taut, the metal creaking even more loudly in protest.

"Keep going!"

"Give it some more!"

Mickey growled, slamming his foot down as hard as he could.

Finally, the catch ripped off the console of the TARDIS and the panel flew open. A blinding white light started to pour out of the hatch. Rose stepped forward to look into the light, hope and terror rising inside of her, and it reflected onto her face, like some ethereal glow, so that she shone with a golden light. A breeze blew her hair back and suddenly, the light started to flood into her eyes.

* * *

"Rose!" Mickey shouted.

He rushed towards the TARDIS, intending to get inside, but the doors slammed shut before he could reach it. Jackie covered her mouth with her hands in shock. She pulled Mickey back as the engines groaned back to life. The TARDIS dematerialised, rays of light shining from the windows, a gust of wind blowing up all around it, and then it was gone. Jackie looked at Mickey, both completely bewildered by what had just happened. Mickey breathed, heavily, staring at the spot where the TARDIS had just stood.

* * *

Jack was still running backwards down the corridor, shooting, vainly, at the Daleks advancing on him.

"Doctor, Priestess, you've got twenty seconds maximum!" Jack shouted into his wrist-device.

* * *

The Doctor threw equipment at the Priestess, who, haphazardly, put them together, the two dashing around like mad people.

* * *

The TARDIS hurtled through the time vortex with an unnatural speed. The golden mist of the time vortex streamed into Rose's eyes as she stared into it, as though hypnotised, the power from the vortex acting like a breeze, blowing her hair out of her face.

* * *

Jack's bullets ran out as he reached the end of the corridor, his back hitting the wall. He tossed the Defabricator aside and produced a small revolver, and began to fire that instead, but to no avail. The Daleks advanced, untouched and perfectly healthy, until finally the gun clicked, empty, and Jack was backed up against the wall with no weapon and no escape and facing three Daleks on his own. He faced them, squarely and definitely, his strength showing in his hard eyes.

"Exterminate!" The Dalek at the front screeched.

And the three Daleks raised their guns.

"I kinda figured that." Jack said, firmly, not betraying an ounce of weakness. _Sorry, Priestess, thought I could hold on, don't think what you said is gonna come true._

He threw out his arms, ready. The Dalek fired and Jack slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor, dead.

* * *

The Priestess recoiled, suddenly, hearing Jack die over the intercom and she flinched, the tears, unwillingly, coming to her eyes as she thought of the brave man who had just sacrificed his life for herself and her Bondmate. _Rose, all I can hope now is that you know what you are doing. _She thought, helplessly, thinking that her vision was practically imminent, it would happen now or very soon.

The Doctor pulled up the lever of the device they had managed to put together. "It's ready!" The Doctor said, stunned, pulling the Priestess out of her grief and worry and turning her attention to the Delta wave.

They looked up as the Daleks began to file into the room, surrounding them. The Priestess slipped into the Doctor's arms, who tightened one arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest, while the other arm was situated on the Delta wave.

"You really wanna think about this." The Doctor said, defiantly. "'Cos if we activate the signal, every living creature dies."

"I am immortal." The Dalek Emperor said over the screen.

"Are you intending to put that to the test?" The Priestess glared at him, boldly.

"I want to see you both become like me." The Dalek Emperor rumbled. "Hail the Doctor and the Priestess, the Great Exterminators!"

The Priestess swore under her breath. "Never." She spat at him, her disgust showing in her voice.

The Doctor placed one hand on the lever and the Priestess matched him, one of her hands falling beside his onto the lever as well. Their eyes snapped to each other.

_Together. _The Priestess said, firmly.

_Always._ The Doctor murmured.

The Doctor stared back at the Daleks. "We'll do it!" He shouted, angrily.

"Then prove yourself, Doctor. What are you, coward or killer?" The Dalek Emperor asked, smugly.

The Doctor's hand tensed on the lever. He looked down at the Priestess. He could do a lot for the good of the universe. He had been able to decimate his entire race for the good of the universe. But he could never kill her as a result. Even if it would be for the good of the universe, he could never kill her of his own volition. Maybe if she asked, but otherwise, never. The arm around her waist clutched her against him and he kissed her hair. He shook and his face betrayed the agony he was experiencing. His grip around the lever loosened and the Priestess knew exactly why he was doing it, feeling the exact same war in _her_ mind. She could never hurt the Doctor, even to slaughter all of the Daleks. She would break into a million tiny little pieces and never wake up if that happened.

"Coward. Any day." The Doctor whispered.

"Mankind will be harvested because of your weakness." The Emperor Dalek said.

"And us? Are we to become your angels as well?" The Priestess purred.

"You are the Heathens. You will be exterminated." The Emperor Dalek growled.

The Doctor nodded and turned to the Priestess, wrapping her in his arms. "Maybe it's time." He murmured, not taking his eyes off the Priestess.

_I wanted all of eternity with you_. The Doctor said, mournfully.

_Theta Sigma, I have never regretted a moment with you_. The Priestess said, strongly, although he could hear the sob she was trying to hide.

And, suddenly, he could see all these flashes of their time together. The pretty red-haired little girl with freckles and the roguish dark-haired little boy with the blinding white teeth. The red-haired beauty the little girl had turned into and the dark-haired, devilishly handsome young man the little boy had become. The first time they had confessed their feelings for one another to each other. The night they had Bonded to each other. The birth of all three of their children. The day that the Priestess had sent the Doctor away in the TARDIS with their granddaughter. The last day of the Time War. Watching all of her children die as they fought bravely against the Daleks. Being imprisoned and tortured on Davros' ship. Being saved from Van Statten's clutches by the Doctor. Holding him again, her mind finding his for the first time in what seemed to be an eternity.

And the first time they made love.

Her hand curled around the back of his neck.

His hand splayed across her naked back.

Trembling and sated.

The Doctor's eyes on the Priestess'.

Her flushed, tender smile only for him.

His long fingers stroking down her warm cheek.

Every touch between them flooded with love and wonder.

Theta Sigma and his Annika.

_I love you._ The Doctor said one last time and sheathed her with every single thought about her he had ever had.

_And I love you_. The Priestess crooned in the Doctor's mind.

And they closed their eyes, ready for the inevitable blast. The Daleks surrounded them. Suddenly, one of the Dalek's eyepieces swivelled around as they heard the sound of the TARDIS engines. It began to fade in at exactly the same location where it left.

"Alert! TARDIS materialising!" One Dalek screeched.

The Doctor's and the Priestess' eyes snapped open and they spun around in shock. The Priestess' shoulders slumped and she nodded to herself. This would be where her vision would fulfil itself and all she had the power to do was watch and let it happen.

"You will not escape!" The Dalek Emperor rumbled.

The TARDIS had fully materialised by this point and the doors flew open. The Doctor and the Priestess threw their hands over their eyes as the blinding golden light of the Time Vortex poured out. In the doorway stood Rose, looking exactly like the vision the Priestess had had of her. They stared, a little awestruck, as the light curled and swayed around Rose when she stepped forward and out of the TARDIS. They stumbled backwards, the Doctor falling to the ground and the Priestess' hand falling onto his shoulder.

"What've you done?" The Doctor asked, scared and horrified. A human… who had taken in the Time Vortex itself. Who knew what she was capable of? What she could do? To time. To the universe.

Rose gazed down at him, her eyes and her mind set, firmly, on the Doctor, her eyes full of the light of the Vortex.

"I looked into the TARDIS. And the TARDIS looked into me." Rose murmured, her London accent completely disappeared.

The Doctor's and the Priestess' eyes widened. "You looked into the Time Vortex." The Priestess said, slowly. "Rose, _no one_ is meant to see that."

"This is the abomination!" The Emperor Dalek boomed.

"Exterminate!"

The Dalek fired at Rose, who held up her hand. The bolt froze, just inches from her, and reversed back into the gun. The Doctor and the Priestess looked at it in amazement, the latter not having expected the extent of the power that Rose now held. They stared at Rose, intensely.

"I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words..." Rose waved her hand at the words 'BAD WOLF CORPORATION' written high on the wall. "I scatter them in time and space." The words 'BAD WOLF' rose from the wall and floated away. "A message to lead myself here."

"Rose, you've got to stop this. You've got to stop this now." The Doctor said, urgently, his hand still clutching onto the Priestess'. Rose stared straight ahead as though she hadn't heard him.

"You have the entire Vortex in your head, Rose." The Priestess said, earnestly. "You _will_ burn."

Rose's eyes snapped to the Doctor. "I want you safe." The Doctor looked taken aback, wondering what he had done to inspire such loyalty in this young human. He stared. Rose had the traces of tears remaining on her cheeks. "My Doctor. Protected from the false God."

The Priestess recoiled when she heard Rose called the Doctor 'hers'. The rage rushed at her like a tidal wave, the bond she had with the Doctor practically seething at someone else calling the Doctor theirs. The Doctor was hers. Irrevocably and enduringly. She knew this would end, badly. If they survived this, she knew she would have a battle ahead of her.

"You cannot hurt me. I am immortal." The Emperor Dalek protested.

Rose's eyes snapped to his image on the screen, her eyes burning golden, much like the Priestess' did when she had a vision. "You are tiny. I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence, and I divide them." She raised her hand, stretching it out in front of her. The Dalek in the centre was disintegrated into golden, liquid-like particles. "Everything must come to dust... all things. Everything dies." She looked to the side and the Daleks lined up there were also reduced to golden particles. "The Time War ends."

The Doctor and the Priestess flinched.

"I will not die. I cannot die!" The Emperor Dalek's voice started to rise in fear as he was turned into dust.

Rose stood with her arms raised, staring straight ahead of her, shaking.

The Doctor stood up, carefully, still holding onto the Priestess. "Rose, you've done it. Now stop. Just let go." He demanded.

"How can I let go of this? I bring life..." Rose's voice was hushed and blissful.

The Doctor and the Priestess' eyes widened as they felt Jack come back to life, the two Time Lords cringing at the churning in their stomach at his new and improved state. The Priestess stamped the feeling down, remembering the feeling from her vision, and remembered that Jack was her friend and that he had given up his life for them. He deserved better than her prejudice.

"But this is wrong!" The Priestess shouted. "You cannot control life and death. It is beyond you."

Rose's eyes snapped to her. "But I can. The sun and the moon... the day and night." Her voice trembled. "But why do they hurt…?"

"The power's gonna kill you and it's my fault." The Doctor's head lowered in anguish.

"I can see everything." Rose whispered, a single tear falling down her cheek. The Doctor and the Priestess stared at her, something dawning in their eyes. "All that is... all that was... all that ever could be."

The Priestess' shoulders slumped. She knew exactly what that meant. She experienced it every single day herself. Every dream she had. It was heaven and hell in her eyes. The Doctor stood up, abruptly, and looked at the Priestess briefly, before looking at Rose, understanding finally.

"That's what we see. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?" The Doctor asked, gently.

"My head…" Rose whispered, scared, suddenly, her head starting to hurt.

The Doctor looked at the Priestess, who nodded, her face transforming into a picture of grief, her hearts aching.

"… it's killing me…"

The Doctor stepped towards her and he raised his hands to clutch at her temples, his eyes closing as his mind searched out hers. His mind drew the Vortex into his mind from hers, the Time Vortex flowing out of her eyes and into his. The Priestess whimpered, realising what this meant for the Doctor. He parted from Rose and Rose's eyes fluttered closed from the loss of energy. She fell into his arms, unconscious. He placed her onto the floor, carefully, and the stood up straight, facing the TARDIS calmly. He slowly exhaled and blew the Time Vortex, through the doors back, into the TARDIS. The doors closed, quietly, and the TARDIS looked normal, devoid of any mysterious light, once more. The Doctor opened his eyes and smiled, softly, to himself. He went over to the Priestess and stroked her face and neck, tenderly.

* * *

Groaning and wincing, Jack stood. He staggered forwards through the doorway. He spotted a pile of dust on the floor, where one of the Daleks once stood. He knelt down beside it and ran his hand through the dust in confusion. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the TARDIS engines groaning to life. He ran as fast as he could. But he was too late. The TARDIS was already fading away, leaving Jack stranded. He stared after it, hurt and confused.

* * *

The Doctor carried Rose back into the TARDIS and placed her on the floor, but not before checking that the Time Vortex had not affected her in the slightest. He stood at the console, staring up at the time rotor and his eyes moved around the TARDIS. He looked towards his side and saw the Priestess standing a little away from him, trembling against the console. His eyes softened with concern and worry and he took a step forward. And that was all the Priestess needed to throw herself into his arms, his hands falling onto her waist to keep her steady.

She looked up at him and he stared down at her, a sad sort of longing in his eyes.

"I wish I could have done everything in the universe with you." The Doctor murmured into her ear, his hands stroking up and down her back.

And that was all she needed for the tears to spill down her cheeks, dampening his sweater. His arms tightened around her and he pressed a comforting kiss to the top of her head.

"Why are you crying?" The Doctor asked, confusedly. He knew her better than anyone. She was hardly one to feel squeamish at the idea of regeneration. She loved each and every body he had ever had. He knew it couldn't be attachment. It had to be something else.

"You are exhausting your regenerations. Soon, you will have none left and then where will I be?" She whispered.

The Doctor chuckled, feeling the pain of his regeneration start. "Don't worry, I'm gonna be here for awhile."

She looked up from his leather jacket, her hand reaching out to touch his cheek. "I have never and will never love anyone the way I love you."

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and slanted his mouth over hers, licking into her mouth for one final taste, conveying every single inch of love he had ever felt for her. "I love you more than anything in this universe."

Rose started to stir, awakening, slowly, disoriented.

"What happened?" Rose grumbled.

The Doctor looked at her, mildly surprised. It seemed that when he removed the Vortex from her mind, it also wiped her memories of the event. "Don't you remember?"

Rose sat up, very confused, her head aching and her body weak. "It's like... there was this singing..."

"That's right! I sang a song and the Daleks ran away." The Doctor joked and the Priestess tightened her grip on the Doctor's hand.

Rose's brow furrowed as she tried to remember what happened. "I was at home... no, I wasn't, I was in the TARDIS, and..."

The Doctor and the Priestess glanced down at his hand, watching the veins shimmer with a golden light, and then it was gone.

"I can't remember anything else."

The Doctor and the Priestess looked around at her, uneasily. The young blonde was shaking her head, completely oblivious, trying to remember. She noticed them watching her and frowned at their joined hands. The Doctor smiled.

"Rose Tyler." The Doctor chuckled. "I was gonna take you to so many places. Barcelona, not the city Barcelona, the planet. You'd love it. Fantastic place, they've got dogs with no noses." He laughed at his own joke. The Priestess rolled her eyes, not being able to resist the reaction. "Imagine how many times a day you end up telling that joke, and it's still funny!"

Rose straightened, looking at him, confused, and then she shot the Priestess a suspicious look. "Then, why can't we go?"

"Maybe you will." The Doctor shrugged. "And maybe I will. But not like this." He looked at the Priestess, a vague smile on his face.

"You're not making any sense!" Rose stood.

"I might never make sense again! I might have two heads. Or no head!" The Doctor and the Priestess laughed and Rose nodded with a bemused smile on her face. "Imagine me with no head! And _don't_ say that's an improvement..." He told the Priestess, warningly, whose eyes twinkled, playfully. She patted his cheek, affectionately. "But it's a bit dodgy, this process. You never know what you're gonna end up with-"

The Doctor suddenly propelled backwards with a blast of golden light. He doubled over and clutched at his stomach, as though he had been punched. The Priestess dug her nails into the console, willing herself and fighting every instinct inside of her not to go to him. Rose rushed forward, full of concern.

"Doctor!" She called out.

The Priestess yanked her back before she could reach him. "No, you must stay away." She said, urgently.

Rose looked at her, confused and angry, her eyes wide. The Doctor winced in pain, looking at the Priestess.

"Doctor, tell me what's going on." Rose said, urgently.

"I absorbed all the energy of the Time Vortex, and no one's meant to do that!" The Doctor said, lightly. He screwed up his eyes in pain and the tears came to the Priestess' eyes all over again, the pain tugging at her hearts.

"That is an understatement." The Priestess whispered and Rose looked at her. She looked at the blonde girl. "Every cell in his body is dying." She bit out.

"Can't he do something?" Rose asked, horrified.

"Yeah, I'm doing it now! Time Lords have this little trick, it's... sort of a way of cheating death. Except..." The Doctor looked Rose in the eye. "It means I'm gonna change." Rose shook her head, slightly, not understanding. "And I'm not gonna see you again. Not like this. Not with this daft old face." He laughed, remembering saying those words to the Priestess after he had found her again. _Daft old face, indeed. Maybe I'll get something prettier this time, a face to match my 'Nika's._ "And before I go…" His eyes turned to the Priestess.

"I dare you…" She said, threateningly. _You are not dying. I love you. You will come back to me as soon as your regeneration is finished. This is not your death._

"Yeah, I know." The Doctor told her, choosing this time to reply using words instead of thoughts. He turned back to Rose, who was staring at his exchange with the Priestess with confusion, jealousy skirting the edges of her eyes. "Rose…" Rose listened, carefully. "Before I go, I just wanna tell you, you were fantastic." He smiled at her, proudly. He looked at the Priestess, earnestly, his eyes burning with pride and love. "Both of you." _My fantastic, brilliant girl. My Dream Girl. I love you beyond words. Always remember that. _He could see the trickle of tears down her cheeks at his thoughts. "Absolutely fantastic." Rose looked back at him, unsmiling, still upset and not knowing what to make of the way he was acting. "And d'you know what?"

Rose shook her head.

The Doctor grinned. "So was I."

And, finally, Rose smiled, nodding, still confused. The Priestess swallowed hard, tensing as she prepared for what would happen next. The Doctor smiled at both women for the last few moments before, suddenly, he convulsed and orange energy exploded from every inch of his skin, blasting out of the neck of his jumper, the sleeves of his jacket and the bottoms of his trousers. The Priestess watched his regeneration, transfixed, her eyes burning as she waited, patiently, for the energy to subside.

Rose staggered backwards, shielding her eyes from the heat and the light, but she could not look away, wondering how the Priestess managed to do so. They stared, bewitched, as gradually, the Doctor's hair lengthened to messy brown waves and his face changed to sharp features. The energy eventually died away and a completely new man stood in front of them, still wearing the old Doctor's clothes. He looked, slightly, surprised for a moment, before turning to look at the Priestess.

"Hello!" He grinned wide and the Priestess felt a fluttering in her stomach at his blinding grin. He smirked at her, as if knowing what he was doing to her, and winked. _There's my girl. I still got it. _He thought, smugly. "Okay. Ooh." He gulped, much to the Priestess' amusement. Rose stared in fascination. The Priestess bit her lip when she saw him run his tongue over his teeth, his brow furrowed. "New teeth. That's weird. So, where was I? Oh, that's right! Barcelona."

Rose just stared at him with undisguised shock.

The Priestess shook her head, resisting the urge to smile.

He grinned.

* * *

A/N: And I have finished. Glorious day this is. I'd say 'end of an era', but there's still six stories to go. A lot of fluffy moments between the Doctor and the Priestess, a lot of goodbye scenes.

I hope you liked the ending of the chapter. It's kinda sweet that the new Doctor and the Priestess are already attracted to each other, isn't it? It'll be interesting to see what their dynamic will be in the next story, won't it? And sparks will finally fly between the Priestess and Rose, I promise. It'll be fun.

So, stick around for _Bad Moon Rising, _it's worth the wait, I promise.

I have no idea when the first chapter will be posted, but it is in progress and as soon as I finish it, I will start posting. It might take me a little bit, but you'll all be the first to know!

Thank you all for your lovely reviews and I'm so glad so many of you have enjoyed this the way you have. I have to admit I was more nervous about this story than _The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday_, because the Priestess is a Time Lady. But to see you all like it so much, it's so nice!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the last chapter and don't forget to leave a review, I'll get back to you soon.


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